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Summary for 2601 Cascadia AVE / Parcel ID 5700003595 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: American Foursquare- Colonial Neighborhood: Mount Baker
Built By: Year Built: 1920
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
Built in 1920, this building was constructed after John A. and Emma B. Duncan purchased the lot in January of 1919. Mr. Duncan was president and general manager of Duncan and Sons, Inc. The Duncan’s resided previously at 2528 Thirty-First Avenue South. Charles J. Phillips purchased the residence in September of 1966 for $54,500. The building was sold in June of 1971 for $61,000. 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.
 
Appearance
Built in 1920, this massive, Colonial-influenced, American Foursquare style, single-family dwelling stands on an irregular shaped lot at the intersection of Cascadia Avenue South and Mount Saint Helens Place South. The building is sited on a flat site 3’ above street level with prominent views out over Lake Washington. This 2132 square foot, two-story house with a full daylight basement features a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 41’ by 52’, with a small front stoop. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, stucco-clad superstructure. Clay tile covers the hipped roof. A one-story addition projects from the east side with a sun porch on the back facade. Broad overhanging eaves with decoratively cut brackets define the roofline. Wood sash 8:1 double hung and multiple-lite casement windows provide day lighting. Recessed round arches frame the front facade first story windows. Small planters with metal railings project from below the front facade second story windows. A short flight of stairs leads to the main entrance. Paired Classically-influenced columns support a broad entablature with an elliptical roof projecting above. A substantial exterior brick chimney and a secondary brick chimney service the building. This building dominates a stretch of street having equally impressive and intact historic buildings. The building represents an exceptional stylistic example due to siting, scale and exterior detailing.

Detail for 2601 Cascadia AVE / Parcel ID 5700003595 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Stucco Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Hip Roof Material(s): Clay Tile
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two
Unit Theme(s):
Integrity
Changes to Windows: Intact
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: 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.
Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority. "Mount Baker: An Inventory of Buildings and Urban Design Resources."
Mount Baker Community Club. Flowers We All Love Best in Mount Baker Park, (reprint of 1915 ed.)
Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Mount Baker Historic Context Statement."

Photo collection for 2601 Cascadia AVE / Parcel ID 5700003595 / Inv #


Photo taken Mar 10, 2004

Photo taken Mar 10, 2004

Photo taken Mar 10, 2004
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