Seattle Historical Sites

This four unit apartment flat in the Squire Park neighborhood, between First Hill and the Central Area, was constructed c. 1901 according to tax assessor data. The Squire Park area developed between 1890 and 1910 as a residential neighborhood with single family homes and scattered apartment buildings. The nearby Yesler Way cable car line to Lake Washington opened in 1888 and transit lines and related commercial and residential development continued to expand as Seattle experienced a major population growth following the 1898 Alaska Gold Rush and into the first decades of the 20^th Century. Much of the Central Area was predominantly Jewish before World War I and many Jewish businesses and synagogues were flourishing in the area around Yesler Way and east of 10^th Avenue, including a Jewish Settlement House formed by the Seattle section of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) in 1906. The organization operated from rented rooms in several different houses in the area between 1906 and 1916 when a permanent building was constructed at the corner of 18^th Ave and Main St, at which time the organization was renamed the Education Center (designed by architect Marcus Priteca; not extant).  After World War II the organization changed its name to the Neighborhood House. This four unit flat was one of the locations that formerly served as the Settlement House and as a neighborhood branch of the Seattle Public Library before the NCJW constructed their own building in 1916. After World War II, most of the Jewish community migrated to suburban areas such as Seward Park, Mercer Island, and Bellevue.

This 4-unit apartment flat is a two-story wood frame structure with a hip roof, wide eaves, and shingle cladding. The primary east elevation is symmetrical and features two stacked window bays and a large attached covered wooden porch supported by round columns projecting across the entire front of the house. The primary entry is a simple wooden door with a single light in the upper half. The rear west elevation features recessed wooden porches and balconies with exterior stairwells at the corners. These structures do not appear to be original and may either be alterations or additions. The original windows have been replaced with metal sash windows and the cladding has been altered.

King County Tax Assessor

http://info.kingcounty.gov/Assessor/eRealProperty/default.aspx