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Summary for 7307 23RD AVE / Parcel ID 751850-7970 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: Arts & Crafts - Craftsman Neighborhood: Crown Hill/Ballard
Built By: Year Built: 1913
 
Significance








Residential Ballard is generally described as extending from the 8th Avenue NW to the east and the bluff to the west, and from NW 85th Street on the north to NW 65th Street to the south. The area primarily contains single family houses, but also includes a collection of mutli-family dwellings, commercial buildings, schools, churches, and other buildings. Most of the historic buildings in Ballard are modest cottages and builder's houses, and were not architect-designed. Building styles include, but are not limited to, Victorian (primarily Queen Anne), vernacular, Craftsman, American Foursquare, Colonial Revival (including variations), Tudor Revival, Minimal Traditional, and Ranch. The historic building fabric of Ballard is threatened by a rapid pace of development.

The City of Ballard was incorporated in 1890. It was the first community to incorporate after Washington achieved statehood in 1889. Although population increased rapidly, north Ballard was still relatively rural. In 1907, primarily due to lack of adequate water for its population of 15,000, Ballard citizens voted to be annexed to Seattle to ensure a good water supply for the area.

After annexation Ballard’s street names were changed to conform to Seattle’s: Ship Street turned into 65th Street, Main Street became 15th Avenue.  During the Great Depression and World War II, construction in Ballard nearly ground to a halt, with the exception of some houses built by Earl F. Mench. However, following World War II, fueled by the G.I. bill and the rise of the automobile, Ballard boomed again, and new housing followed. In recent years, the demand for new housing has spurred a tremendous amount of change in Ballard, with old, modest houses being replaced by large box houses and multi-family units. These changes threaten to alter the character and feeling of this historic neighborhood.























Earliest records date from 1891 and indicate that Dighton H. Blackmore owned two full blocks















of land in the Salmon Bay Addition, including the two lots that comprise this address. However,















it was the Sisters of Charity (now Providence Hospital) that held the immediate block in their















trust through the turn of the century. Anton Sather, a Watchman at Murphy Shipyards, and his















wife Mary, who emigrated from Norway by way of Wisconsin, built the existing Craftsman















bungalow in 1913 and resided here for 40 years, raising four children.















For the next 40 years, the house was host to four different families. In 1991 this home















came into the hands of current owners, Andy Lyle and Mary Kennedy. Mary and Andy have















spent 21 years slowly restoring this Craftsman home by replacing what was 'muddled' over the















years with original period details and bathing them in light. Architect, Tim Anderson, guided















them through the process of restoring the living and dining rooms and master bedroom. The















original box beams preside over the dining room. A plate rail with board and batten wainscoting















and a colonnade combine to add distinction  between the living room and formal dining room.















While not original, the custom floral stained glass windows by local artist, James McKeown, are















true to the period. The home's footprint was expanded by bumping out the kitchen to add 114















feet. The kitchen was rebuilt to showcase the refurbished 1950s Wedgwood stove that Mary















found in Portland. A new, spacious breakfast nook added to the charm. The original fir flooring















combined with the bed-board walls, a farmhouse sink and period lighting, complete the vintage















feel.















A door and decorative period-appropriate slatted deck rails were added to the upper story deck t















hat is accessed off of the master bedroom. Andy and Mary acknowledge some of their own 're-















muddling' missteps. Their first was to add a fireplace not consistent with the home's overall style.















Another was the weekend while Mary was away, when Andy began to convert a master bedroom















closet to a bathroom. The resulting master bath, which eventually emerged from that former















closet, is a lovely combination of old and new.















But, that was not before the couple spent years sleeping in the guest bedroom!















With an expert's guidance, Mary and Andy have truly enjoyed restoring and enhancing their















light-filled Ballard charmer, room by room. Many thanks to Renee Martin for her research on















this home.

































References























Ballard Historical Society Classic Home Tour guides.









Crowley, Walt. Seattle Neighborhoods: Ballard--Thumbnail History.  HistoryLink File # 983, accessed 6/1/16.









King County Tax Assessor Records, 1937-2014.  









McAlester, Virginia Savage.

A Field Guide to American Houses (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Alfred A> Knopf Press, 2013.









Oschsner, Jeffrey Karl

Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle, WA: University of









Washington Press, 1994.

Passport to Ballard: The Centennial Story. Seattle, WA: Ballard News Tribune, 1988.

























 
Appearance
The house at 7307 was built in 1913 in the Craftsman style. Sitting prominently above the street by















several feet, the one and one half story house is side-gabled with a large dormer facing the street and















sitting above a nearly full façade width front porch. The porch is supported by four heavy square















columns and includes a low wall on all three sides. Steps to the front door are located slightly off-center















and the door itself is flanked by large windows; a single window on one side and a triple window on the















other. The windows are double-hung with upper sashes divided into narrow vertical lites. The roof















dormer façade features a well-composed arrangement of a door flanked by single windows of the same















configuration as the first floor windows. The door leads out to a balcony overlooking the street. The















balcony railing is composed of square columns interspersed with flat balusters with a cut-out pattern in















the shape of arrows or perhaps tall trees, giving a vaguely chalet-style or folk art appearance. Other















detaling includes wide beltcourses at the foundation and attic levels, curved and flared bargeboards,















kneebraces, and a pop-out on one side. The exterior cladding is wood—narrow clapboarding at the first















floor level and a combination of narrow and wider clapboarding at the second level—this latter siding















arranged in a pattern of two narrow and one wide board, repeated over the gable-end facades.







Detail for 7307 23RD AVE / Parcel ID 751850-7970 / Inv # 0

Status:
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition-Shingle
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture
Integrity
: Slight
Major Bibliographic References

Photo collection for 7307 23RD AVE / Parcel ID 751850-7970 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Feb 01, 2016

Photo taken Feb 01, 2016

Photo taken Jan 01, 1900
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