| Historic Name: |
Johnson, J. A., House #2 |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Tudor |
Neighborhood: |
University |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1922 |
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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 two-and-a-half story brick and stucco-clad house is one of the best Tudor Revival style houses in the University District. It shows fine craftsmanship and high quality construction and is virtually intact. The house occupies a prominent corner site at the intersection of NE 52nd Street and 17th Avenue NE.
This house was designed and built by John A. Johnson, who built the house at 1717 NE 55th Street seven years earlier (1915). The NE 55th Street house, which is only a couple of blocks away, is a similar Tudor Revival-style house with some Craftsman details. The garage and retaining wall were constructed at the same time as the house. Immediately prior to moving into this house, John and Ellen Johnson lived at 5236 17th Avenue NE. Mr. Johnson was a building contractor and operated the Western Construction Company with George Johnson. John and Ellen Johnson continued to reside at this address at least until 1938. Irving N. Berlin and others purchased the house in 1964.
J.A. Johnson was not a trained architect; however, he may have borrowed some design details from the work of architect Andrew Willatsen, who designed the similar earlier house for Johnson located at 1717 NE 55th Street. Johnson chose corner lots for his Tudor Revival style houses, which are larger and more elaborate than most houses in the University Park neighborhood.
Based on field work conducted in October 2014, this historic property retains its relationship to the streetscape, historic building form and a sufficient amount of exterior historic building fabric (design features, cladding and/or window sash/openings) to contribute to the distinct character of the University Park neighborhood.
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| Appearance |
| This impressive two-and-a-half story residence is one of the most elaborate and finely detailed in the neighborhood. It has an irregular plan with a hipped main roof and a crossed gable roof on the east-west and north-south elevations, which front on 17th Avenue NE and NE 52nd Street respectively. It is clad in brick on the lower level and on a central gable above the entry porch, with stucco and half-timbering on most of the second and attic levels. The windows are leaded glass windows, mostly double hung, with colored stained glass in the upper sash. The gable ends on the north, east, and west elevations and the gabled dormer on the east elevation include decorative bargeboards and a central decorative element. On the north elevation, there is a two-story bay window, with a row of five stained glass windows on both the first and second floors. There is a similar row of four windows on the second floor of the east elevation. There is a one-story gable-roofed porch breezeway extension on the west elevation that connects the house and the driveway. The house has a prominent exterior chimney on the north elevation and an internal chimney. The entry porch extends almost to the sidewalk and resembles the entry porch at the house at 1717 NE 55th Street. Some interior alterations were made to the house in 1992
The garage, which is adjacent to the alley, matches the house in its materials and details. The garage door is new. The fence on the retaining wall is a relatively new addition |
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