This small wood-frame machine shop building was constructed for Walter R. Hinckley (c.1884-1957) who according to tax records gained ownership of the parcel 1-14-1909 probably as part of his father’s estate. Historically, the land area between the original <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake <st1:placename w:st="on">Union shoreline to the east, <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Galer Street to the north, <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Sixth Avenue to the west and <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Highland Drive to the south was part of the Timothy D. Hinckley pioneer homestead. Timothy Hinckley, a marine engineer, came to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Seattle c. 1853 and established a family home at <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">1401 Westlake Ave. N (at the foot of <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Galer St. – in 1905 the house & approx 2.04 acres remained) near this parcel where he raised nine children (including Walter, Ira and Lyman). Timothy Hinckley is known to have also farmed the homestead and acquired surrounding and other real estate for investment purposes. In the immediate post-fire era he had the Hinckley Block (designed by John Nestor) constructed at the SW corner of <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Second Avenue and <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Columbia Street – the center of the then-emerging banking and shopping district. By 1900, Walter R. Hinckley was the manager of the Hinckley Block, a position he held for at least two and half decades. By 1905 or earlier he was residing near his father’s home and this building site at <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">1301 Westlake Ave (near the foot of <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Comstock St.). In the post-WWI era after the completion of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Lake Washington <st1:placetype w:st="on">Ship Canal, the South Lake Union district entered a period of increased development of new industrial and commercial enterprises spurred by improved transportation systems. During this period both Ira and Walter Hinckley developed family property with new buildings intended for manufacturing purposes. [Ira developed the extant nearby former paper box factory building located at <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">1255 Westlake Avenue N.] According to microfilm building permit records Walter R. Hinckley obtained Permit #182686 (issued 7-31-1919) “To erect bldg for Machine Shop as per plans filed” measuring 29’ x 55’ – the record further stipulated “Machine Shop only not Garage or Auto Repair Shop.” These records indicate that the project was built by contractor Mowat & Cannon according to plans prepared by Ivey & Riley architects at a cost of $3,000. The building appears to have been complete by 10—28-1919. The building appears to have remained in the ownership of the <st1:place w:st="on">Hinckley family until at least as late as 1972. During the 1920s Walter R. Hinckley is known to have purchased extensive land areas that were platted for “high class residential districts” near the Seattle Golf Club. The original tenant of the building was J.M. Gauntlett & Co. operated by James M. Gauntlett (1884-c.1937), who began to regularly advertise at this address by 12-28-1919 (Seattle Times). Mr. Gauntlett was born in Gold Beach, Oregon and later resided in Unalaska, Alaska with his family (beginning in August 1898) where his father William was a merchant and federal official during the Klondike Gold Rush era. By 1910, J.M. Gauntlett was residing in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle where he was noted in the 1910 U.S. Census as a “jewelry machinist.” The Gauntlett machine shop specialized in printing press machinery and repairs. It appears to have been in operation at this location until at least 1937, possibly closing due to Mr. Gauntlett’s death. The building appears to have had a rear addition made during the J.M. Gauntlett & Co. era and was subsequently used light manufacturing purposes including the fabrication of wallpaper clean fluid (Sanborn Map c.1950) and steel products (Pacific Steel Products, C. 1981).
The subject building was designed for Mr. Hinckley by Ivey & Riley architects. Edwin J. Ivey (1883-1940) was born in Seattle and a 1910 graduate of the U Penn architectural program. He practiced in partnership w/ Warren H. Milner (1911), served as a draftsman for Joseph Cote (1913) and operated an independent private practice when he designed many speculative houses (1914-1918) prior to entering into partnership w/ Howard H Riley from 1918-1921.
During this partnership, the design work broadened to include industrial buildings (including a factory for Ira Hinckley 1920), apartment and commercial buildings as well as some schools, along with single-family houses. Shortly before the partnership dissolved in 1921, Ivey hired Elizabeth Ayer (during her senior year at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University of <st1:placename w:st="on">Washington) and became her professional mentor. During the 1920s, they designed several grand houses including: the 1922 alterations to the “Thornewood” estate on <st1:placename w:st="on">American <st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake south of <st1:city w:st="on">Tacoma; “Belleterre” (1923-25) in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Lakewood for David C. Scott; the A. W. Leonard residence (1923-24) in Seattle, “Brookwood” (1924-26) in The Highlands for C. W. Stimson, and the Paul M. and Langston C. Henry mansions (1927-28) in The Highlands. By the end of the 1920s, Ivey branched out into real estate development, as head of the Ferry Investment Company. (Credit: David Rash, Shaping <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle Architecture, 2014)
Howard Huston Riley (1890-1950). Born in Lima, Ohio; arrived in Seattle by 1910 and working as a drafter; studied architecture at University of Pennsylvania, 1910-12; in partnership Yelland & Riley with Louis Yelland (May 1876-?), Victoria, B.C., 1912-14, and Seattle, 1914; designed “Tanhaven” (William V. Coon residence), Victoria, (1913; altered), J. V. Perks residence, Fairfield, B.C. (1913); employed by B. Marcus Priteca (see essay), Seattle, 1915-16; by Link & Haire, Butte, Montana, 1916-17; by Edwin J. Ivey (see essay) in 1918; in partnership Ivey & Riley, 1918-21; designed Flora Hahn house, Seattle (1919), L. A. Levensale residence, Seattle (1920), Frank H. Cooper residence, Lake Forest Park (1921); in private practice after 1921; designed Fremont Baptist Church, Seattle (1924), Alpha Chi Omega (now Alpha Xi Delta) sorority house, Seattle (1926); Brooklyn Building, Seattle (1928-29; destroyed, 1970), A. J. Eyerdam residence, Seattle (1941); died in Seattle. (Credit: David Rash, Shaping <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Seattle Architecture, 2014)
