| Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Arts & Crafts |
Neighborhood: |
North Rainier Valley |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1927 |
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| Significance |
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Construction of this building began in July of 1927 and was completed by June of 1928 at a total cost of $2,000. George C. Stevens owned the property as well as 3816 Cheasty Boulevard. Tax records indicate that the property was rented for $22.50 per month in 1937. By 1938, Irvin R. Filk resided in the building, followed by Andrew J. and Marjorie Erskine from 1941 through 1970. Mr. Filk worked as a cooper for Western Cooperage. Mr. and Mrs. Filk moved to the building from 3816 Cheasty Boulevard. Cheasty Boulevard South is a parkway by formal definition with emphasis on the landscaping and a curvilinear undivided roadway that is woven into the natural park-like setting. The adjacent houses and residential buildings are secondary to the integrated concept of the parkway and have little to do with its design integrity. Residences flanking Cheasty Boulevard South to either side of Anthony Place South contribute to the understanding of the development of the down slope housing area between Cheasty Boulevard South and Martin Luther King Junior Way South as low to middle income working class residences. The general massing, heights, dates of construction, setbacks and architectural style variations define these properties as a collective entity. Properties west of the boulevard on the uphill side are comparatively recent in construction dates and character and represent an intrusion of newer properties into the parkway corridor. The City’s acquisition of undeveloped greenbelt surrounding the parkway contributes to maintaining its original character.
The North Rainier Valley consists of a depression created by glaciation between the ridges of Beacon Hill and Mount Baker. The valley derives its name from Mount Rainier because of stunning views of the mountain. The area’s growth followed the early streetcar line, which was completed to Columbia City in 1890. The North Rainier Valley includes the area north of Columbia City and contained many early vegetable farms. Commercial development followed along the streetcar line, with housing built nearby.
During the first decades of the 20th century, the area between Massachusetts and Atlantic Streets was home to Seattle’s largest Italian enclave, “Garlic Gulch.” Dugdale Ball Park opened on the corner of Rainier Avenue and McClellan Street in 1913, and was succeeded by Sick’s Stadium in 1938. World War II precipitated a surge in housing development, including the public housing project, Rainier Vista, in 1943. Following the war, the area attracted a mix of African-Americans, Asians, and Filipinos. Today this diverse, low-to-middle income neighborhood is unique within Seattle with its long narrow form focused on the Rainier Avenue transportation corridor.
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| Appearance |
| Built in 1927, this compact, Arts & Crafts style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The lot slopes downward slightly to the east away from Cheasty Boulevard. Set back from and oriented towards the boulevard this 910 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a full daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring 26’ by 35’, with a 5’ by 13’ front porch. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame superstructure; re-clad within the last thirty years in vinyl/aluminum siding. Asphalt composition roofing covers the cross-gabled roof. The gabled front porch and back portion of the house form the cross gable that extends through the main roof. Wide eave overhangs and decorative exposed rafter ends with diagonal braces in the gable ends define the roofline. Wood double-hung multiple-lite windows punctuate the basement, first and half stories. All windows feature painted wood trim. Two tapered wood piers support the front porch roof. An elliptically cut beam spans the porch front. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
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Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Gable |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
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Plan: |
Square |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
one & ½ |
| Unit Theme(s): |
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| Integrity |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Moderate |
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Changes to Plan: |
Slight |
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Changes to Windows: |
Moderate |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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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) "North Rainier Valley Historic Context Statement."
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