Seattle Historical Sites

This house is significant due to its architectural style, intactness, and occupancy history. The occupants’ association with businesses in the Rainier Valley reflects the valley’s historical role as a transportation and commercial corridor connecting the residential neighborhoods in South Seattle to downtown and Seattle’s industrial districts.
This residence is located in Mount Baker. The house was constructed in 1908. From 1923 to 1938, Martin and Ellen Paup were the primary occupants. After Martin’s death, Ellen remained in the house until 1941. By 1944, Maurice Van Hallebeke had purchased the house. The Polk Directories show that, from 1948 through 1954, Obert and Mary C. Moi were tenants in the house, probably living there at the same time as the Hallebeke family. The Polk Directories also list W. A. Wight as occupying the house from 1955 though 1956. In 1957, Carl W. and Edith P. Nielsen purchased the property. Carl was the owner of Nielsen Auto Repair, which was located on South Beacon Avenue just west of the Nielsen residence. The Nielsens remained in this house through 1969.
The platting of Mount Baker occurred in three phases or additions: the York Addition in 1903 by George M. and Martha Taggart, the Dose Addition in 1906 by Charles P. Dose, and the Mount Baker Park Addition in 1907 by the Hunter Tract Improvement Company. The Mount Baker Park Addition represents the core of the neighborhood and is its primary, character-defining feature. Mount Baker Park is one of Seattle’s earliest planned subdivisions and was established as a residential neighborhood for upper-income white families. The Hunter Tract development company targeted these families by adopting deed restrictions and setting minimum size and price standards for each house. The careful design of the Mount Baker Park Addition’s lots, streets, boulevards, and parks reinforced its exclusivity. However, the platting and landscape plans of George F. Cotterill and Edward O. Schwagerl were significant as they integrated the hill’s natural topography into their design. In doing so, they honored the ideals of Seattle’s Olmsted System and the local government’s city planning efforts.

The houses in Mount Baker were primarily built between 1905 and 1929. They reflect a variety of eclectic and Northwest-based architectural styles and include designs by many prominent local architects. When the Open Housing Ordinance was passed by the Seattle City Council in 1968, the ability of non-whites to relocate to Mount Baker substantially increased. Today, the neighborhood is home to a more ethnically diverse population than in the past. This middle- to upper-income neighborhood remains predominantly residential, and it retains much of its planned character.