| Historic Name: |
Bush House |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Arts & Crafts - Prairie Style |
Neighborhood: |
University |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1914 |
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| Significance |
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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 wood-frame Prairie style house was built by Distinctive Homes Company for owners Charles J. and Pauline Bush. It shows several characteristics of the Prairie style, including the basic foursquare plan and the low pitched hipped roof with wide overhanging eaves. The porch has massive square supports and extends most of the length of the house. The house has a strong horizontal emphasis and features the horizontal bands of windows common to Prairie style houses. There are quite a few houses in the University District that reflect the Prairie style. This is the only one of this style included in the inventory, and it is one of the best examples in the University District. Other examples include 4730 17th Avenue NE, 2117 NE Ravenna Boulevard, 5201 NE 52nd Street, 5043 19th Avenue NE, and 5002 8th Avenue NE.
It resembles some Prairie style houses by Andrew Willatsen, who designed other houses in the University District. Unless Willatsen was designing houses for the Distinctive Homes Company, it is unlikely that this is a Willatsen design. This house may have been based on a pattern book design. The Distinctive Homes Company built other houses in the University District, including the Thomson House at 5501 17th Avenue NE.
According to the current owner, Jean Stewart, the house was once the German Consulate in Seattle, but this has not been verified. Past owners have include Erwin and Ruth P. Rengstorff, who purchased the house in 1926, R. B. Hackman, Frank D. Smith and Gerald Wilsey during the 1960s, and Donald Stewart in the 1970s.
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 Prairie-influenced style house has an American Foursquare plan, which is a common feature of Prairie style houses. It is clad in wood shingles, with panels of wood (or stucco) above. The horizontality of the house is emphasized by its horizontal bands of windows and wide front porch with massive square porch supports and a hipped roof that mirrors the main roof. The house has an exterior chimney on the south elevation. The original multi-paned wood-frame windows are on the first floor, and the second floor windows were replaced with aluminum-frame windows following a 1978 fire. The low-angled hipped roof is also consistent with the Prairie style of the building.
In the rear, a deck has been added, and there is an enclosed porch and small bathroom addition. There is a separate garage building to the rear of the house on the alley. |
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