Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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Style: |
Arts & Crafts, Vernacular |
Neighborhood: |
Beacon Hill |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1924 |
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Significance |
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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Built in 1924, this building was occupied by Mabel K. and Lillian B. Kingsberry by 1931. They purchased the residence in April of 1932. A one-story 5’ by 6’ addition was later added adjacent to the side porch. Mabel Kingsberry worked as an assistant cashier at Aetna Life Insurance Company. Lillian Kingsberry worked as a stenographer at Pacific Telephone &Telegraph Company. The Kingsberry’s remained in the building through 1943. Orland D. Blutcher lived in the house by 1951 through 1955. Willie H. Watkins purchased the building in November of 1962 for $15,500 and remained through 1968.
Beacon Hill is a long north-south tending ridge located southeast of downtown Seattle and stands 350 feet at its highest point. The hill’s steep topography deterred substantial Euro-American settlement through the early 1880s. Then, development of the area was stimulated by the introduction of streetcar lines in the 1890s, its proximity to Seattle’s main industrial area to the west, and the regrading of the hill’s north end in the early 1900s.
Originally acquired by the City in 1898, Jefferson Park was integrated into Seattle’s Olmsted system of parks, and the Olmsted Brothers prepared a plan for the park in 1912. The first public golf course west of the Mississippi opened at Jefferson Park in 1915. Jefferson Park has exerted a profound positive influence on the development of the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Because of its proximity to the International District, Japanese and Chinese families moved to Beacon Hill starting in the 1920s. World War I and II stimulated a surge in housing development associated with wartime industry. The construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s and Interstate 90 in the 1980s sliced through the neighborhoods and contributed to Beacon Hill’s relative isolation. Today, Beacon Hill is an ethnically diverse working class community, which has a mixed Asian, Chicano, African American, and Caucasian population.
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Appearance |
Built in 1924, this Arts & Crafts style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Eighteenth Avenue South on a flat site at street level. This 1374 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a full basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 32’ by 42’, with a 6’ by 5’ single-story rear addition and a full width, 6’ deep side porch. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, clapboard and shingle (upper portions) clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the front gable roof and gable roof dormers. Open eave and gable overhangs with exposed rafters, purlins, braces and prominent bargeboards define the roofline. Wood 1:1 windows with multiple-pane upper sash and painted wood casings provide day lighting. The building exhibits some window alterations on the west and south facades. A short flight of stairs leads to the substantial porch. A low, solid railing wraps the porch between massive piers supporting arched soffits carrying the extended main roofline. A prominent, exterior gable end brick chimney services the building. The elevated front porch and arched supports over the porch volume set this building apart as unique within the Beacon Hill neighborhood. |
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Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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Cladding(s): |
Shingle, Wood - Clapboard |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
Roof Type(s): |
Gable |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
one & ½ |
Unit Theme(s): |
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Integrity |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Slight |
Changes to Windows: |
Slight |
Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Major Bibliographic References |
City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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City of Seattle. Survey of City-Owned Historic Resources. Prepared by Cathy Wickwire, Seattle, 2001. Forms for Ravenna Park structures.
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Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Beacon Hill Historic Context Statement."
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