Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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Style: |
Tudor |
Neighborhood: |
Mount Baker |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1929 |
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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 1929, this building was purchased by Richard V. and Louise F. Gelzenlichter in September of 1938. Mr. Gelzenlichter was then assistant to the general manager of Boeing Airplane Company, and by 1936, he was assistant to the vice president of Boeing. The Gelzenlichter’s lived in the building through 1958. Harold H. Norris purchased the building in December of 1971 for $24,500.
The Mount Baker neighborhood comprises two north-south tending ridges located southeast of downtown Seattle along Lake Washington. Initial development of the area occurred relatively late, post-1900, following the construction of the Rainier Avenue Electric Street Railway in the 1890s. York Station on Rainier Avenue and the Dose Addition were developed earlier than the Mount Baker Park Addition, platted in 1907 by the Hunter Tract Improvement Company. The Mount Baker Park Addition represents the core of the neighborhood and is its primary character-defining feature. Mount Baker Park is one of Seattle’s earliest planned residential communities that successfully integrated the natural environment and a relatively exclusive residential neighborhood in its layout of lots, streets, boulevards, and parks. The houses, primarily built between 1905 and 1929, reflect a variety of eclectic and Northwest-based architectural styles, and include designs by many prominent local architects.
Other important influences were the streetcar connection with downtown Seattle, the integration of local parks and boulevards into the Olmsted system, the construction of Franklin High School in 1912, and the building of the Mount Baker tunnel and Lacey V. Murrow Floating Bridge to Mercer Island in 1940. Today this middle-to-upper income neighborhood remains predominantly residential, is home to an ethnically diverse population, and retains much of its planned character.
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Appearance |
Built in 1929, this Tudor Revival style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular corner lot. The building is oriented to South Lander Street on a flat site 3’ above street level. This 1392 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a three-quarter basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 50’ by 30’, with a small front stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, brick-clad superstructure. Clay tile covers the cross gable roof. Flush eaves with minimal trim and boxed soffits define the roofline. Metal sash multiple-pane windows provide day lighting. A short flight of stairs leads to the front entrance. An internal brick chimney services the building. The remarkable use of metal sash windows over an extensive surface area sets this building apart as unique within the Mount Baker neighborhood. |
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Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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Cladding(s): |
Brick - Common Bond |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
Roof Type(s): |
Gable |
Roof Material(s): |
Clay Tile |
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 Plan: |
Intact |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
Changes to Windows: |
Slight |
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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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Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. "Mount Baker: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources."
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Mount Baker Community Club. Flowers We All Love Best in Mount Baker Park, (reprint of 1915 ed.)
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Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Mount Baker Historic Context Statement."
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