Summary for 5203 18TH AVE / Parcel ID 8823900375 / Inv # 0 |
Historic Name: |
Wheeler House |
Common Name: |
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Style: |
Queen Anne - Shingle |
Neighborhood: |
University |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1910 |
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Significance |
In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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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.
(2002) This prominent Shingle Style residence was designed by architects Spalding & Umbrecht for Levant C. and Emma Wheeler. Wheeler was the secretary-treasurer of A.R. Greenus & Company. The house is noteworthy for its intersecting gable roofs, its wood shingle cladding, and rows of multi-paned windows (some of which have been replaced). It resembles a New England seaside summer house in its style.
Stella Johnstone lived in the house from about 1922 until the 1950s. Later owners of the house included Dorothy Murray in the 1950s and Henry Cheng in the 1960s and 1970s.
Architects A. Walter Spalding and Max Umbrecht had a practice together in Seattle from 1908-1911. Spalding designed the Robert Moran house on Orcas Island, now Rosario Resort. Umbrecht designed the John W. Clise house, now Marymoor Park, in Redmond.
The house was included in the survey as one of the few Shingle style residences in the University District and for its prominence and interesting design.
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Appearance |
(2014) This property exhibits no substantive changes to the exterior appearance since it was identified in the 2002 HRI project.
(2002) This two-and-one-half story residence has a side gable roof and an intersecting front gable on the south side of the building and a cross-gable roof on the west elevation. It has gabled dormers on the east elevation and shed dormers on the south elevation. It has a Shingle style reminiscent of a New England seaside house There is a central entrance with a gable portico and a porch that extends from the entrance to the northeast corner of the house. The shingle cladding appears to be original. Most of the original wood double hung windows with multiple sash above windows are still extant on the first floor level. On the second and third floor levels, most of the multi-paned windows have been replaced. In a few cases on the east and south elevations, the second and third floor window openings have been changed slightly when the windows were replaced. Other noteworthy aspects of the house are the multiple roof levels and multi-level eaves.
The stickwork in the porch pediment appears to be original. The square porch posts grouped in pairs are also a distinctive feature. There is an exterior chimney on the north elevation and an interior chimney near the south end of the house. Two small decks on the second floor level of the west elevation may be new but are relatively minor elements. There is a new wood fence on the south and west sides of the house and a separate (older) garage. |
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Detail for 5203 18TH AVE / Parcel ID 8823900375 / Inv # 0 |
Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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Cladding(s): |
Shingle |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
Roof Type(s): |
Gable |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
Building Type: |
Domestic - Single Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
two & ½ |
Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture |
Integrity |
Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
Changes to Windows: |
Extensive |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Major Bibliographic References |
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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Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ed. Shaping Seattle Architecture, A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
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Photo collection for 5203 18TH AVE / Parcel ID 8823900375 / Inv # 0 |
Photo taken Mar 22, 2002
Photo taken Feb 13, 2015
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