Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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Style: |
Tudor |
Neighborhood: |
Beacon Hill |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1930 |
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Significance |
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Built in 1930, this building was owned by P. L. Lunstad. O. J. Hanson was the contractor. The building was occupied by Ray K. and Catherine Imus by 1933 through 1938. The Imus’ resided previously at 5556 Seventeenth Avenue South. Mr. Imus worked as a teacher at Cleveland High School. William H. Raabe purchased the building in April of 1941 and remained through 1944. By 1951 through 1968, Howard E. Williams lived in the house. By the mid 1970s, an attic room and a basement room were added.
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 1930, this modest, Tudor Revival style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Fourteenth Avenue South on a flat site at street level. This 959 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a full basement features a nearly square plan, measuring approximately 31’ by 29’, with a 16’ by 5’ front porch. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, shingle- and stucco-clad superstructure. Half-timbering accents the front facade gable ends. Asphalt composition roofing covers the steeply pitched cross gable roof. Modest eave and gable overhangs with pronounced rake trim define the roofline. Multiple-pane double hung and fixed sash windows provide day lighting. A bay window projects from the side facade. A short flight of stairs leads to the recessed front stoop. A prominent brick chimney services the building. |
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Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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Cladding(s): |
Brick, Shingle - Combed, Stucco |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
Roof Type(s): |
Gable - Clipped |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
Building Type: |
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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: |
Intact |
Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
Changes to Windows: |
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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