Seattle Historical Sites

This house is significant due to its association with the Italian American community in South Seattle and was characteristic of the social and ethnic diversity that thrived in Rainier Valley from its early development to present.

This single-family residence is located in North Rainier Valley. It was constructed in 1914 and was owned by Joseph and Mary Supino through first half of the twentieth century. The Supinos were Italian immigrants; and, after her husband’s death, Mrs. Rose T. Supino remained in the house through 1969.

Substantial residential and commercial development in South Seattle and the Rainier Valley occurred when a transportation corridor connecting the Rainier Valley to downtown and Seattle’s industrial district was constructed along Rainier Avenue during the late nineteenth century. Development in the valley was facilitated by logging during the 1880s, the operation of the Rainier Valley Electric Railway in the 1890s, and the Jackson and Dearborn Street re=grades in the 1900s. Milling was the primary commercial industry during the last part of the nineteenth century although some agricultural activity existed. As residential development increased, Rainier Avenue gradually became the principal commercial corridor connecting the residential neighborhoods of South Seattle to downtown, the International District, and Seattle’s industrial districts. World War II brought additional building growth related to the wartime industry as well as the influx of defense workers to nearby Boeing and the Duwamish shipyards. 

Early Italian migrants moved to the Pacific Northwest in order to work at the coal mines in Renton, Newcastle, and Black Diamond. Once settled, Italian Americans began operating farms, including Fred Marino and Joe Desimone, who were involved in organizing the Pike Place Market. During the growth period from 1900 to 1910, additional Italian migrants moved to Seattle for jobs in building and road construction, as well as the city’s re-grading activities. During this period, the Italian American population grew, and the 1910 census documented approximately 45 percent of Italian Seattleites who lived in south downtown and north Rainer Valley. North Rainer Valley and north Beacon Hill became known as “Garlic Gulch,” and the community was centered on Rainier Avenue, between Massachusetts and Atlantic Streets. This block was the principal commercial area, while residences and institutional buildings, such as Colman School, Mount Virgin Roman Catholic Church, and St. Peter’s Catholic Church, were located southward on Rainier Avenue, as well as in the nearby Beacon Hill and Mount Baker neighborhoods. North Rainier Valley continues to reflect its early beginnings as a diverse neighborhood.

The rectangular lot for this single-family residence is located at the northern end of Rainier Valley and was originally platted for the Armours Addition. Constructed in 1914, this Craftsman-style house is located between South Massachusetts and South Grand Streets and faces westwards onto 25^th Avenue South. It is one-and-a-half stories with a rectangular lot, 2,020 square feet of living space, and a partially finished daylight basement. The poured concrete foundation supports a platform-framed superstructure, and square columns support the roof of the recessed porch. Wood stairs lead up to the front porch entryway. The side-gabled roof is punctuated by a large, front-facing gabled roof dormer, while an extended gabled roof covers the recessed porch. The roof system is covered by asphalt composition shingles. Its wide eaves overhang is supported by triangular knee braces in the gable ends and is ornamented with exaggerated and decoratively cut bargeboards and exposed or false rafters at the eaves-line. The house is clad in wood board siding on the first story and wood shingles on the upper story and on the dormer walls. Two contrasting belt courses extend along the bottom and top of the first story, providing a division between each floor level. The house’s windows are primarily hung-sash, and most original wood casings are intact. This house retains its architectural characteristics as a Craftsman house, and it remains integral to the residential character of North Rainier Valley.