| Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Arts & Crafts |
Neighborhood: |
Mount Baker |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1909 |
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| Significance |
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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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Built in 1909, this building was constructed after R. M. Dyer purchased the property in 1908. In 1912, a builder, R. Peterson, was hired to construct a garage addition beneath the porch. In 1913, lath and plaster partitions were constructed in and part of the basement. Henry and Florence B. Wagner bought the building in March of 1923. Mr. Wagner was president of Seattle Fur Exchange. In 1933, Mr. Wagner constructed an addition to the building. In 1937, he hired an engineer, John H. Stevenson, and a contractor, W. G. Clark, to remodel the garage. Niel S. Sanborn bought the building in June of 1940 for $12,000, and he remained in the building through 1958. Carl A. Hermanson bought the residence in February of 1960 for $27,000.
The Mount Baker neighborhood comprises two north-south tending ridges located southeast of downtown Seattle along Lake Washington. Initial development of the area occurred relatively late, post-1900, following the construction of the Rainier Avenue Electric Street Railway in the 1890s. York Station on Rainier Avenue and the Dose Addition were developed earlier than the Mount Baker Park Addition, platted in 1907 by the Hunter Tract Improvement Company. The Mount Baker Park Addition represents the core of the neighborhood and is its primary character-defining feature. Mount Baker Park is one of Seattle’s earliest planned residential communities that successfully integrated the natural environment and a relatively exclusive residential neighborhood in its layout of lots, streets, boulevards, and parks. The houses, primarily built between 1905 and 1929, reflect a variety of eclectic and Northwest-based architectural styles, and include designs by many prominent local architects.
Other important influences were the streetcar connection with downtown Seattle, the integration of local parks and boulevards into the Olmsted system, the construction of Franklin High School in 1912, and the building of the Mount Baker tunnel and Lacey V. Murrow Floating Bridge to Mercer Island in 1940. Today this middle-to-upper income neighborhood remains predominantly residential, is home to an ethnically diverse population, and retains much of its planned character.
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| Appearance |
| Built in 1909, this Arts and Crafts-influenced, American Foursquare style single-family dwelling also bears Prairie influence. The building stands on a large rectangular lot and is oriented to Cascadia Avenue South on a sloped site below street level at the rear. This 1584 square foot, two-story house with a full daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 38’ by 48’, with an 8’ by 16’ porch. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, stucco-clad superstructure. Asphalt composition roofing covers the low-pitched hipped roof. Broad overhanging eaves define the roofline. The window configuration is unusually asymmetrical for this type of house. One lower level room features a band of eight what appear to be original casement windows with a small transom above. The entrance is sheltered by a 5’ by 16’ front porch recessed 3’ from the façade. A prominent, tall, unadorned chimney services this house. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Brick, Stucco |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Hip |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Square |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
two |
| Unit Theme(s): |
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| Integrity |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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City of Seattle. Survey of City-Owned Historic Resources. Prepared by Cathy Wickwire, Seattle, 2001. Forms for Ravenna Park structures.
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Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. "Mount Baker: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources."
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Mount Baker Community Club. Flowers We All Love Best in Mount Baker Park, (reprint of 1915 ed.)
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Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Mount Baker Historic Context Statement."
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