Seattle.gov Home Page
Link to Seattle Department of Neighborhoods home page

Seattle Historical Sites

New Search

Summary for 2917 15th AVE / Parcel ID 3086002665 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: Tudor, Tudor - Cottage Neighborhood: Beacon Hill
Built By: Year Built: 1931
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
Built in 1931, this building was owned by E. W. Senn. By 1938 through 1965, Jules and Louise Olivier resided in the building. By 1968, Huey J. Goon lived in the building. 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 1931, this compact Tudor Revival style single-family dwelling stands on a rectangular lot. The building is oriented to Fifteenth Avenue South on a flat site 3’ above street level. This 957 square foot, one-and-a-half story house with a full basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 29’ by 33’, with a 6’ by 3’ front stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, brick clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the hip roof. Flush eaves and gables with prominent rake trim define the roofline. Wood sash multiple-pane leaded glass windows with flat, soldier course headers provide day lighting. A direct flight of stairs leads to the enclosed front stoop. Low brick cheek walls flank the stairs. A steeply pitched gable roof shelters the stoop. A tall brick chimney services the building. The hipped roof sets this building apart as distinct within the Beacon Hill neighborhood.

Detail for 2917 15th AVE / Parcel ID 3086002665 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Hip Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one & ½
Unit Theme(s):
Integrity
Changes to Windows: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Plan: Intact
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."

Photo collection for 2917 15th AVE / Parcel ID 3086002665 / Inv #


Photo taken

Photo taken Dec 19, 2003

Photo taken Dec 19, 2003
App v2.0.1.0