Historic Name: |
Sayre, Willis, House |
Common Name: |
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Style: |
Colonial - Colonial Revival, Queen Anne |
Neighborhood: |
Queen Anne |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1899 |
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Significance |
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. |
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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This is one of the oldest houses in the vicinity, built in 1899 for C. E. Thurston. It is also significant as the long-time home of J. Willis Sayre and his wife Pearl. Sayre (1877-1963) was known primarily as a theatrical promoter and a newspaper drama critic, often placing both roles at the same time. Sayre’s family came to Seattle around 1890, from Washington D. C. He became advertising director for theater manager John Cort, leaving during the Spanish-American War to fight in the Philippines. In 1903 he undertook a round-the-world journey, completing the trip in just over 54 days, a record at the time, and returned to a hero’s welcome. He worked as the manager of the Seattle Symphony from 1908 until 1924, and as theatrical critic and editor for the Seattle daily Times and the Seattle Star. From 1924-1936 he worked as an independent promoter of stage shows and films, and wrote books on early Seattle history. He returned to newspapers, working at the Post-Intelligencer until his retirement in 1954. In 1959, due to failing health, he moved to Santa Cruz, CA., and died there in 1963. Sayre compiled a collection of more than 24,000 photographs of theatrical and vaudeville performers and other entertainers who played in Seattle between 1900 and 1955; this collection is at the University of Washington Libraries. The Sayres lived here from 1925 until moving to California in 1959.
In 1963 the porch columns and stair railings were replaced with wrought iron, and the bay window was modernized. However, a later owner restored the building to its appearance as of the 1938 Tax Assessor's photo.
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Appearance |
This is a basically a vernacular house with elements of the Colonial Revival and Queen Anne styles. It has a hip roof with large and small gabled dormers on the front (south) façade. Cladding is narrow clapboard with shingles above a belt course in the gable ends and vertical boards below the water table. The entry is on a recessed porch at the west side of the façade; the porch has a gabled pediment supported by two fluted square wood posts, with simple square balusters and pineapple newels. The east end of the façade has a three–sided suspended bay that turns the corner; it is supported by decorative brackets and has windows with leaded transoms. Above this are two one-over-one windows with wide surrounds; similar windows are on the side elevations. The dormer has a large arched window that is probably a replacemnt. |
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Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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Cladding(s): |
Shingle, Vertical - Boards, Wood - Clapboard |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
Roof Type(s): |
Hip |
Roof Material(s): |
Wood - Shingle |
Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
one & ½ |
Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Entertainment/Recreation |
Integrity |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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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"Sayre, James Willis (1877-1963)," Historylink.org, 2/27/2004.
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