Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 4851-4857 Delridge WAY / Parcel ID 1773100450 / Inv # WS015

Historic Name: Youngstown Improvement Club Hall Common Name: Disabled American Veterans Hall Style: Vernacular Neighborhood: Delridge Built By: Year Built: 1923   Significance This simple building was constructed in 1923 by the Southwest Seattle Improvement Club (originally the Youngstown Community Club) as a community hall for Youngstown. Local business owners had founded the club in 1914 to bring people together for community empowerment. It is an excellent example of a community hall, and one of the few examples remaining in Seattle. The community of Youngstown developed around the Seattle Steel Mill, and was named for a large steel town in Ohio. It was primarily a workingmen's community, with many different ethnic groups, including Italians, Yugoslavs and Russians. The community's name was changed to Delridge in 1939 to improve its image and build neighborhood pride. The club's name was change, in 1946, to the Delridge Improvement Club. The club was purchased by a World War II veteran in 1950, and has been used as a meeting place for Disabled American Veterans for more than fifty years. It is also rented for activities such as square dancing, but no longer serves as the general community meeting place that it once was. The vestibule, eight feet deep and 23 feet wide was added in 1938; it was necessary to raise the building four feet and move it back 12 feet to accommodate this change. In the 1950s the rear of the building was extended eight feet to allow construction of a new stairway from the basement to the first floor.   Appearance This simple vernacular building, measuring approximately 50 feet by 34 feet, has a front gable roof with gabled front vestibule inset beneath the main gable. The original wood cladding and windows have been replaced by vinyl siding. The main entry at the front has concrete steps with an iron railing, and a double door. The entrance to the vestibule is slightly arched and is flanked by two 1/1 double-hung windows. Similar windows are on the north and south elevations. The north elevation has a chimney and a secondary entry with wood stairs to the basement. The building steps down the hillside, with a shed-roof addition at the rear.

Detail for 4851-4857 Delridge WAY / Parcel ID 1773100450 / Inv # WS015

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Veneer- Vinyl Siding Foundation(s): Concrete - Block, Post & Pier Roof Type(s): Gable Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Social - Clubhouse Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: Unit Theme(s): Community Planning/Development, Social Movements & Organizations Integrity Changes to Plan: Slight Changes to Windows: Extensive Changes to Original Cladding: Moderate Major Bibliographic References Berlow, Alexa, "Grassroots Initiative in Turn-of-the Century Small American towns: The Case of the Youngstown Imrpovement Club Hall," in Preservation of the Vernacular Environment, University of Washington CAUP Winter 1995.

Photo collection for 4851-4857 Delridge WAY / Parcel ID 1773100450 / Inv # WS015

Photo taken Jul 19, 2002