| Historic Name: |
Leonard, A. W., Residence |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Spanish - Mediterranean |
Neighborhood: |
Capitol Hill |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1924 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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This restrained Mediterranean Revival house is sited on five lots (.58 acre) and has more than 9,000 square feet of living area. Edwin Ivey designed it in 1924 for A. W. Leonard, an executive of Puget Sound Traction, Power & Light Company. This subsidiary of Boston-based Stone and Webster owned the city’s streetcar system and much of the region’s electrical distribution system (the predecessor to Puget Sound Energy).
Federal Avenue was a suitable location for Leonard’s home, as the tree-lined avenue has a fine collection of large homes, designed by major local architects for some of Seattle’s leading families. The street was well located for development, as it is only one block from the Broadway/10th Avenue streetcar line and the open space of Volunteer Park and Lakeview Cemetery is nearby. Although the southern two blocks were platted as part of the 1883 Phinney’s Addition, little development occurred until the first decade of the 20th century, about the time that Volunteer Park was redesigned by the Olmsted Brothers. The landscape architecture firm continually encouraged the city to purchase the property on the west side of the park, so that it would extend all the way to the street; obviously, this was never done.
Edwin Ivey (1883-1940) was born in Seattle, but got his degree in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. He practiced independently for most of his 30-year career, with short term partnerships with Warren Milner and Howard Riley. He is best known for his residential work, including speculative houses for H. E. Harold, the C. W. Stimson (1925-26) and L. C. Henry residences in The Highlands (1927-28), the Aubrey Naef residence (1935-36), the Albert Schafer Castle (1938-39) and the Winston Chambers residence (1938-39). He was a mentor to Elizabeth Ayer, the first woman to become a registered architect in Washington, and she took over his practice following his sudden death in an auto accident in 1940.
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| Appearance |
| This large house sits in expansive grounds surrounded by a wall with iron gates, with a paved courtyard in front of the house. It has a side gable form with stucco cladding and a red tile roof. In the center is the projecting gabled entry bay. The edge of the bay and of the house itself are marked by twisted columns. The arched recessed entry has a solid wood door. Above is a pair of tall arched six-light windows with a windowbox feature beneath. To the north, on the ground floor, is a very large three-part window with a 12-light section flanked by three-light windows; the group is surrounded by ornate plasterwork. The second floor has pairs of multipaned windows with wood shutters; some are flanked by plasterwork scrolls. There is a detached garage with an apartment above, as well as various patios, gardens and a swimming pool, but these are not easily visible from the street. |
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