| Historic Name: |
|
Common Name: |
|
| Style: |
Queen Anne |
Neighborhood: |
Beacon Hill |
| Built By: |
|
Year Built: |
1891 |
| |
| Significance |
|
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
|
|
Built in 1891, the building was owned by Mr. Nichols in 1910. In November of 1910, Mr. Nichols applied for a building permit to construct a sleeping tent. By November of 1923, Mr. Nichols constructed a sleeping porch over the garage that attached to the rear of the residence. By 1938, William Rabbe resided in the building. A. B. and Olive Riley owned the house in 1940 and by 1941 shared the residence with J. E. Cheska and Lawrence H. Thoreson. The Riley’s remained in the house through 1959 until selling the building in 1962. The building remained vacant until ca 1963 when Ruth Holmberg moved into the residence. Mrs. Holmberg occupied the building through 1970 along with two other units.
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.
|
|
| |
| Appearance |
| Built in 1891, this substantial, Queen Anne style, single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular corner lot at the intersection of South Massachusetts Street and Twelfth Avenue South. The building is oriented to Twelfth Avenue South on a flat site elevated 1’ above street level. This 1412 square foot, two-and-a-half story house with a half daylight basement features an irregular plan, measuring approximately 44’ by 30’, with a 6’ by 10’ front stoop and a 14’ by 18’ one story addition. A brick and poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, concrete/asbestos shingle-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the hip roof and hipped roof dormers. Minimal eave overhangs with a boxed soffit and fascia define the varied roofline. Vinyl 1:1 single hung windows provide day lighting. A direct flight of contemporary concrete stairs leads to the front stoop. Decoratively turned wood columns with corner braces support the stoop roof. A single-vehicle garage integrated into the basement of the one-story addition services the building. |
|
|
| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
|
| Cladding(s): |
Shingle - Concrete/Asbestos |
Foundation(s): |
Brick, Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Hip, Varied roof lines |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Irregular |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
two |
| Unit Theme(s): |
|
| Integrity |
|
Changes to Windows: |
Moderate |
|
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Moderate |
|
Changes to Plan: |
Moderate |
|
| Major Bibliographic References |
|
City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
|
|
King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
|
|
Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
|
|
City of Seattle. Survey of City-Owned Historic Resources. Prepared by Cathy Wickwire, Seattle, 2001. Forms for Ravenna Park structures.
|
|
Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Beacon Hill Historic Context Statement."
|
|
|
