Seattle Historical Sites

This house is significant due to its architectural style and intactness, as well as its occupancy history. The occupants’ professional association with downtown businesses reflects the valley’s historical role as a transportation and commercial corridor connecting the residential neighborhoods in South Seattle to downtown and the industrial districts.

This single-family residence is located in the Dunlap neighborhood in the southern end of Rainier Valley. The house was constructed in 1930 by J. W. Wheeler. The Polk Directories list Mrs. Alice E. Grandy as an occupant in the house during this time period. Mrs. Grandy remained in the house through 1958. In 1959, the house was vacant for a period. By 1961, Roland M. Cutting, an analyst at Seattle’s First National Bank, became the principal resident. In 1966, the house was again vacant; then, from 1967 through 1969, it was occupied by Richard J. Von Hagel.

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. 

The Rainier Valley remains a crucial corridor uniting the neighborhoods of South Seattle and connecting them to downtown, Seattle’s industrial districts, and the International District.