Historic Context
The following historic context includes content summarized
from the SR 520, I-5 to Medina: Bridge Replacement and HOV Project Cultural
Resources Assessment Discipline Report included in attachment 7 of the SR 520,
I-5 to Medina: Bridge Replacement and HOV Project Final Environmental Impact
Statement and Final Section 4(f) and 6(f) Evaluations (Federal Highway
Administration and Washington State Department of Transportation 2011), (1
Seattle Neighborhoods: Portage Bay – Roanoke – North Capitol Hill – Thumbnail
History (Becker 2012), along with supplementary research.
Development of the North Capitol Hill Neighborhood
Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood is located on a long
ridge overlooking downtown. The landform is bounded by Fuhrman Avenue East on
the north, I-5 on the west, East Pike Street on the south, and 24th Avenue East
and Boyer Avenue East on the east. It was named by the neighborhood’s primary
developer, James Moore, in 1901. Prior to this, the area had been known as
Broadway Hill and was positioned around a wagon road cut through the forest to
a cemetery, later named Lake View Cemetery, situated on the hilltop (Williams
2001). To attract Seattle’s elite to the development, Moore marketed the
neighborhood as being exclusive, but within convenient proximity to the growing
city. By 1908, Capitol Hill was an expensive and fashionable district and by
1913, enough mansions lined 14th Avenue North to earn it the nickname
“Millionaire’s Row” (Williams 2001; Nyberg and Steinbrueck 1975). Each estate
was individually designed, primarily by well-known architects, in lavish
grandeur and in a wide range of architectural styles, including Tudor Revival,
Georgian Revival, Classic Revival, Queen Anne, English Cottage, Classic Box,
and Craftsman (Williams 2001). Volunteer Park has been a focal point for the
neighborhood since it was purchased by the Seattle Park Department in 1876.
The property at 2333 Broadway Ave E is located within the
northern section of the Capitol Hill neighborhood (north of Volunteer Park), in
what is referred to as North Capitol Hill. Geographically, North Capitol Hill
is located on the peninsula of land between Lake Union and Portage Bay and is
characterized by canyons and ravines (Becker 2012).
The subject property was built in 1906, a time when
streetcar infrastructure was expanded to connect North Capitol Hill and other
early neighborhoods with downtown Seattle. This investment encouraged
development of “streetcar suburbs” along the streetcar routes. These streetcar
suburbs were residential communities where development was shaped by the use of
streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Common features of early
twentieth century streetcar suburbs included the grid street plan and narrow
lots situated perpendicular to the streetcar line, with an emphasis on the
linkage between the pedestrian on the public sidewalk and the buildings’ front
door, porch, and large building setbacks (Howard 1979).
By 1906, the privately-owned Union Trunk Line had been
extended from E Lynn Street to the Roanoke Park neighborhood, connecting North
Capitol Hill with downtown and providing residents access without the need to
walk the steep grades up and down the ridge to catch a trolley. The Roanoke
Park neighborhood, which was developed approximately one block north of the
2333 Broadway Ave E property (now separated from Roanoke Park by SR 520), is
listed on the National Register of Historic Places and considered historically
significant under Criterion A, in part, for its contribution to the broad
patterns of history as an early streetcar suburb (United States Department of
the Interior 2009). In 1919, the City of Seattle purchased the streetcar lines,
including one which ran north along 10th Avenue N (now E) one block east of the
subject property (Becker 2012). The route along Broadway and 10th Avenue E was
abandoned on May 12, 1940, and replaced with a trackless trolley service.
The North Capitol Hill neighborhood was mostly developed by
the early twentieth century, and was comprised of single-family residences,
multi-family residences along arterial streets largely built between the 1920s
and 1940s, and small pockets of commercial businesses along main arterial
streets (Becker 2012). As one of Seattle’s oldest and most distinguished
residential areas, the high-quality architecture and residential landscaping
with large canopy street trees, such as along Federal Avenue North (two blocks
east of subject property), contribute to its ambience and quality (Nyberg and
Steinbrueck 1975). However, the neighborhood would see drastic changes with the
onset of freeway construction.
Construction of the Seattle Freeway, which would become
part of I-5, began in 1958. Its introduction had particular impact on the
Roanoke and North Capitol Hill neighborhoods. Freeway work commenced with the
construction of the Ship Canal Bridge and continued northward and southward
from the bridge approaches, opening in 1962. Since the North Capitol Hill
neighborhood lies immediately south of the bridge, it was among the first in
Seattle to experience route clearing: purchase or condemnation of private
property by the State Highway Department (now WSDOT), front yard auctions of
homes, grading, and freeway construction (Becker 2012). The completion of I-5
separated Capitol Hill and First Hill from downtown Seattle. During the same
time, the North Capitol Hill neighborhood was further divided by the original
1960s SR 520 project construction, which separated the northern section south
of Roanoke Park from the rest of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The
construction included major areas of cutting on North Capitol Hill, and on the
Roanoke Park plateau, as well as throughout the nearby Montlake neighborhood.
Despite disruptions and intrusions from transportation
projects, the Roanoke and North Capitol Hill neighborhoods retain their
popularity and real estate values. Charming older housing stock, parks and open
space, access to water, proximity to the freeway and to both the vibrant
Capitol Hill neighborhood and downtown, and good bus service attract residents
seeking a dense and busy, but still charming, intensely urban environment. The
construction of I-5 encouraged the building of more multi-unit apartments to
take advantage of the expansive views offered from Capitol Hill’s ridge. Victor
Steinbrueck wrote of the numerous properties that had been redeveloped as
apartment buildings along the Capitol Hill slope, “The architecture of the
various apartments is neither generally harmonious or of high quality, but
these do form an interesting, variegated, architectural wall above the
roadways,” (Steinbrueck 1973).
Property Development
Located in the approximate center of Seattle in the North
Capitol Hill neighborhood, the property at 2333 Broadway E was built in 1906.
No architect or builder is recorded in the King County Assessor’s records for
this property (King County Assessor 1936-1966). It was constructed in the
Craftsman architectural style, which was popular from approximately 1905 to
1930. Character-defining features of this style include: low-pitched roofs with
wide (often unenclosed) eave overhangs; exposed rafters; decorative beams or
braces added under gables; large front porches (either full- or partial-width)
with roof supported by tapered or square columns; gabled dormers with exposed
rafter ends; wood clapboard or shingle cladding (McAlester and McAlester 2005:
453-4). When constructed, the residence at 2333 Broadway E included features
that embodied the Craftsman style of architecture including: windows with
wooden casing, a triple front window with a planter box, a 78 square foot
recessed partial width front porch with decorative braces and a square wooden
detailed column with matching balustrade and central front steps, a 24 square
foot side porch on north side of house with extended roof and wooden steps, a
low-pitched shingle clad hipped roof with four gable dormers facing each
cardinal direction with broad overhangs and exposed rafter detailing, the
dormers embodied fine detailing including decorative stickwork, and cedar siding
exterior walls (King County Assessor 1936-1966). The undated property photo
attached to the 1936-1966 King County Assessor property card shows a
well-maintained front landscape with mown lawn, a northeast corner grouping of
small boulders and shrubs that transitions into an ornamental flower border
along the north property border, and a mixture of deciduous and coniferous
trees and shrubs flanking the front steps along the length of the front, east
façade, and shrubs along the northern façade (King County Assessor 1936-1966).
The property has undergone modifications over time with
changes in ownership. Caroline V. Cummings is the first owner on record in 1910
and during a remodel in 1923 according to the King County Assessor property
card, until J L Bloomquist purchased the property circa. 1930 (King County
Assessor 1936-1966). Thomas M. Rupert purchased the property in 1936 and built
a detached garage in 1944. William Harris was the owner when the detached
garage was demolished, and a carport built in its place ca. 1958 (King County
Assessor 1937-1966). Edward and Marjorie Billodue purchased the property at an
unknown date and remain the current owners (King County Assessor 2019). Changes
to the property over time include: a
railing, designed with a style that is compatible with the original balustrade,
has been added on either side of the front central steps, the depth of the
broad roof overhangs were reduced and the exposed rafters on the roof were
removed, the decorative stickwork in the gables of the dormers has been
removed, original wooden windows have been replaced by new vinyl windows, the
building exterior was painted green which has since started peeling, a
dog-eared wooden picket fence with central entrance arbor and two mature
camellia flanking the northeast and southeast boundary of the front yard have
been added which block the full view of the building.
Although several features of the building remain intact,
the neighborhood context has undergone drastic changes since the residence was
built in 1906. While the property at 2333 Broadway E had been established for a
decade, the 1917 Sanborn map of Seattle shows the area during its developing
years with several vacant lots remaining in the neighborhood (Sanborn Fire
Insurance Company 1917: Sheet 446). By 1950, the neighborhood had largely
filled in, the property was one house among many in a spatial arrangement of
long rectangular blocks extending row after row in each direction (Sanborn Fire
Insurance Company 1950: Sheet 446). The early 1960s freeway construction
changed the neighborhood and site context. A comparison of the 1969 historic
aerial with the 1950 Sanborn map shows the contrast, as Interstate 5 had been
constructed immediately west and SR 520 immediately north of the property, inherently
cutting off the site from the western and northern part of the city (NETRonline
1969). The long rectangular block was transformed into a curved arch by the on
and off ramps of the freeway. The property that resided west of 2333 Broadway E
was demolished, and the land taken by the State of Washington. Billodue
purchased the vacant parcel (parcel 6699500075) in 1990 (King County Assessor
2019). Fruit trees were planted on the vacant parcel, and the land offers
expanded views of Lake Union and the Olympic Mountains. The vacant lot is
landscaped and acts as an extension of the backyard to the property at 2333
Broadway E.
NRHP and Eligibility Evaluation
The property at 2333 Broadway E was evaluated for NRHP and
WHR eligibility under criteria A, B, C, and D, with recommendations as follows:
NRHP Criterion A
Properties can be eligible for listing in the NRHP under
Criterion A if they are associated with events that have made a significant
contribution to the broad patterns of our history and retain sufficient
integrity to convey that significance. The property at 2333 Broadway E is
historically significant as an example of an early 20th century residence
associated with the “streetcar suburb” development trend in Seattle. Streetcar
suburb development was a trend across the country and manifested in Seattle in
the Roanoke Park neighborhood and nearby parcels, including the property at
2333 Broadway E. The property is adjacent to the Roanoke Park Historic
District, but outside its suggested NRHP-listed boundary. The period of
significance for this association is 1906, which corresponds with the build
date of the residence at 2333 Broadway E and the year the streetcar lines were
established in North Capitol Hill. Character defining features that convey the
building’s historic association include the large setback, the hipped roof with
four gable dormers, the horizontally hung wood siding with decorative dentil
molding, the coursed wooden shingle cladding on the dormers, and the recessed
partial width front porch with wooden square column. The eligible historic
property boundary is restricted to the historic site boundary which is
equivalent to the parcel boundary for 6699500030. While some of the original
features have been lost, the property at 2333 Broadway E retains sufficient
integrity to convey the significance of an early twentieth century residence
developed along a streetcar line. Thus, the property at 2333 Broadway E is
recommended eligible for individual listing in the NRHP under Criterion A, but
is not considered to be among the properties that contribute to conveying the
significance of the Roanoke Park Historic District under Criterion A.
NRHP Criterion B
Properties may be eligible for listing in the NRHP under
Criterion B if they are associated with the lives of persons significant in our
past and retain sufficient integrity to convey that significance. The first
records of the property at 2333 Broadway E record Caroline V. Cummings as the
owner (King County Assessor 1936-1966). Cummings was the owner during a 1923
remodel. Thomas M. Rupert was the owner of the property when a detached garage
was built in 1944. Unknown alterations of $14,000 were undertaken by owner
Edward R. Billodue in 1966 (King County Assessor 1936-1966). The architect
associated with the design of the property is unknown. Research did not yield
information that indicated the property to be associated with the lives of
persons significant in our past. As such, regardless of its physical condition,
the property cannot be said to convey historic significance. Without a
documented historic significance, analysis of integrity (the ability to convey
historic significance), is not merited.
Therefore, the property at 2333 Broadway E is recommended not eligible
for listing in the NRHP under Criterion B.
NRHP Criterion C
Properties may be eligible for listing in the NRHP under
Criterion C if they embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or
method of construction, or if they represent the work of a master, or possess
high artistic value, or represent a significant and distinguishable entity
whose components may lack individual distinction, and retain sufficient
integrity to convey that significance. The property at 2333 Broadway E is
adjacent to the Roanoke Park Historic District, but outside its suggested
NRHP-listed boundary. When it was first built, the property was an excellent
example of an early twentieth century Craftsman style house. However, many of
the character-defining features that conveyed the Craftsman style for this residence
have been altered. While the property retains enough of its original character
to represent an early twentieth century residence, it has lost distinctive
character defining features such as the stickwork of the dormers, the depth of
the roof overhangs and exposed rafters, and original windows such that it no
longer retains sufficient integrity to convey architectural significance as an
example of Craftsman style. Thus, the property at 2333 Broadway E is
recommended not eligible for individual listing in the NRHP under Criterion C,
and is not considered to be among the properties that contribute to conveying
the significance of the Roanoke Park Historic District under Criterion C.
NRHP Criterion D
Properties may be
eligible for listing in the NRHP under criterion D if they have yielded, or may
be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. The
property does not provide information that cannot be obtained through historic
research and aerial photograph analysis. Therefore, the property at 2333
Broadway E is recommended not eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion
D
Major Bibliographic References
Becker, Paula. 2012. Seattle Neighborhoods: Portage Bay –
Roanoke – North Capitol Hill – Thumbnail History, HistoryLink Essay 10180.
Available: http://www.historylink.org/File/10180. Accessed: December 26, 2018.
Federal Highway Administration and Washington State
Department of Transportation. 2011. Final Environmental Impact Statement and
Section 4(f) and 6(f) Evaluations, SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program,
SR 520, I-5 to Medina: Bridge Replacement and HOV Project. June 2011. Seattle,
Washington.
Google Earth. 2019. Google Earth Pro, Version 7.3.2.5776.
Mountain View, CA. Accessed: April 16, 2019.
Howard, Cynthia A.I.A. 1979. Your House in the Streetcar
Suburb. Prepared for The City of Medford, Massachusetts Department of Community
Development. September 1979. Medford, Massachusetts.
King County Assessor. 2019. King County Parcel Viewer.
Available at https://www.kingcounty.gov/services/gis/Maps/parcel-viewer.aspx.
Accessed March 25, 2019.
King County Assessor, Real Property Record Cards,
1936-1966, Washington State Archives, Puget Sound Regional Branch, Bellevue,
Washington.
King County Assessor, Real Property Record Cards,
1971-1991, Washington State Archives, Puget Sound Regional Branch, Bellevue,
Washington.
McAlester, V. and McAlester, L. 2005. A Field Guide to
American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
NETRonline. 1969. Historic Aerials Viewer. Available:
https://www.historicaerials.com/viewer. Accessed: January 18, 2019.
Nyberg, Folke and Victor Steinbrueck. 1975. Historic
Seattle Neighborhood Inventories: Capitol Hill. Available:
https://historicseattle.org/neighborhood-inventories/. Accessed: March 27,
2019.
Sanborn Insurance Company. 1917. Fire Insurance Map of
Seattle. Volume 4, Sheet 446. Sanborn Insurance Company, Chicago, IL. Digital
database, Seattle Public Library, Seattle, WA.
Sanborn Insurance Company. 1950. Fire Insurance Map of
Seattle. Volume 4, Sheet 446. Sanborn Insurance Company, Chicago, IL. Digital
database, Seattle Public Library, Seattle, WA.
Steinbrueck, Victor. 1973. Seattle Cityscape #2. University
of Washington Press, Seattle, Washington. Pp 80-81.
United States Department of the Interior, National Park
Service. 2009. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Roanoke
Park Historic District.
Williams, Jacqueline B. 2001. The Hill with a Future:
Seattle’s Capitol Hill 1900-1946. CPK Ink, Seattle, Washington.
