Harvard-Belmont
Located on the west slope of Capitol Hill, the Harvard-Belmont Landmark District is significant to the City of Seattle as a well-preserved, essentially residential neighborhood which retains its individual identity as an area of fine homes built by the city's leading financiers, industrialists, merchants, and businessmen in the early years of the twentieth century.
The combination of urban and almost pastoral qualities, the tree-shaded streets, the several open vistas, and the wooded ravines to the northwest, all create a neighborhood of outstanding and enduring character. In order to recognize, preserve and protect the significant assets of the Harvard-Belmont area, residents initiated the process by which their neighborhood became a preservation district and the Harvard-Belmont Landmark District was approved for designation in 1980.
The Harvard-Belmont Landmark District, situated on the west slope of Capitol Hill above the City's major freeway and representing gracious residential quality in the urban setting, is one such area. The character of the district is defined by a substantial, well- established, and well-maintained residential fabric encompassing both large estates and modest houses, a mix of urban cultural and commercial institutions, within a framework of tree-lined streets, well-maintained grounds, and distinctive natural features.
The topography of the area is typical of those where the first outlying neighborhoods of quality residences were established in Seattle during a decade of rapid growth just after the turn of the century. From the relatively flat eastern boundaries of Broadway East and Harvard Avenue East the land slopes gradually and then more precipitously downward to the west, providing many of the properties with dramatic sites affording views of Lake Union and Queen Anne Hill. The northern boundary is marked by a deep wooded ravine separating the Sam Hill House from the properties around St. Mark's Cathedral. The southern boundary at East Roy Street changes to apartment, institutional, and commercial use and marks the transition to the denser multiple-unit residential area and the commercial shopping strip of Broadway East to the south. Within these boundaries the normally overriding grid system of platting gives way to some diagonal and curving streets that generally conform to the natural contours of the land. H. C. Henry, a railroad builder and a powerful force in Seattle's business community, was the first man of influence to settle in the district. Although his house is now gone, his presence was instrumental in attracting others of like means and ability to the area. During the first decade of the twentieth century merchants, bankers, lawyers, engineers, and then lumber barons, successful businessmen and entrepreneurs built impressive residences along Harvard Avenue East, Belmont Place East and neighboring streets.
In the next two decades some additional large houses were built and some of the existing mansions were sold to equally affluent buyers.
Although many architectural styles are represented in the district, among the buildings of primary significance are a substantial number of residences which exhibit the enduring influence of Richard Norman Shaw. These Shavian houses impart a special quality to the area, a distinctive element which can be found in northern Pacific coast cities (Victoria and Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, Portland). The two Fisher houses on Belmont Place East together with their garage below on Summit Avenue East form a distinctive group of brick and half- timbered dwellings with fine leaded and beveled glass. The M. H. Young House, the C. H. Bacon House, the J. A. Kerr House, and the W. L. Rhodes House are additional examples of the use of brick and half-timbering to evoke the spirit of a romantic medievalism as filtered through the precepts of Shaw.
Other residences display the symmetry of a more classical tradition. The restrained formality of the R. D. Merrill House, the imposing mass of the Chapin-Eddy House relieved by delicate ornamentation, and the strong simple statement of the Brownell-Bloedel House all contribute a sense of solidity and permanence to the district.
Sometimes architects outside the City, such as Charles Al Platte, Hornblower & Marshall, Cutter & Malmgren, and Arthur Bodely, were called upon to satisfy a client's particular wishes. More often local firms with established reputations were commissioned, and works by Carl F. Gould, Somerwell & Cote, Bebb & Mendel, the Beezer Brothers, James H. Schack, Graham & Myers, Blackwell & Baker, and Andrew Willatsen can be found in the district. Interspersed among the mansions of the wealthy bankers, shipbuilders, lumbermen, and merchants are numerous wood frame houses of more modest scale. A few of these were built before 1900, many date from the first decade of the twentieth century, and there are a number of simple residences from the late 1930's and early 1940's.
The 1920's brought the introduction of the Spanish style Hacienda Apartments, the Tudor influenced Anhalt apartment groups, as well as the Cornish School and the Woman's Century Club. These structures, concentrated along the southern and western boundaries of the District, are particularly representative of the Capitol Hill character where a rich mix of architecture, and a successful mix of residential and commercial uses, exists.
Rules and Regulations
2017 Landmarks Preservation Board Agendas and Minutes
2017 Meeting Schedule | 2017 ARC Meeting Schedule
January 4, 2017 Agenda | January 4, 2017 Minutes
January 18, 2017 Agenda | January 18, 2017 Minutes
February 1, 2017 Agenda | February 1, 2017 Minutes
February 15, 2017 Agenda | February 15, 2017 Minutes
March 1, 2017 Agenda | March 1, 2017 Minutes
March 15, 2017 Agenda | March 15, 2017 Minutes
2016 Landmarks Preservation Board Agenda and Minutes
January 6, 2016 Agenda | January 6, 2016 Minutes
January 15, 2016 Agenda | January 15, 2016 Architectural Review Committee
January 20, 2016 Agenda | January 20, 2016 Minutes
January 29, 2016 Agenda | January 29, 2016 Architectural Review Committee
February 3, 2016 Agenda | February 3, 2016 Minutes
February 12, 2016 Agenda | February 12, 2016 Architectural Review Committee
February 17, 2016 Agenda |February 17, 2016 Minutes
February 26, 2016 Agenda | February 26, 2016 Architectural Review Committee
March 2, 2016 Agenda | March 2, 2016 Minutes
March 11, 2016 Agenda | March 11, 2016 Architectural Review Committee NOTE LOCATION CHANGE
March 16, 2016 Agenda | March 16, 2016 Minutes
March 25, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee |
April 6, 2016 Agenda | April 6, 2016 Minutes
April 15, 2016 Agenda ] April 15, 2016 Architectural Review Committee
April 20, 2016 Agenda | April 20, 2016 Minutes
May 4, 2016 Agenda | May 4, 2016 Minutes
May 13, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee
May 18, 2016 Agenda | May 18, 2016 Minutes
May 27, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee
June 1, 2016 Agenda | June 1, 2016 Minutes
June 10, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee
June 15, 2016 Agenda | June 15, 2016 Minutes
June 24, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee NOTE LOCATION
July 6, 2016 Agenda | July 6, 2016 Minutes
July 20, 2016 Agenda | July 20, 2016 Minutes
July 29, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee
August 3, 2016 Agenda | August 3, 2016 Minutes
August 12, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee
August 17, 2016 Agenda | August 17, 2016 Minutes
September 2, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee
September 7, 2016 Agenda REVISED | September 7, 2016 Minutes
September 16, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee - Revised
September 21, 2016 Agenda | September 21, 2016 Minutes
September 30, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee NOTE LOCATION
October 5, 2016 Agenda | October 5, 2016 Minutes
October 14, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee
October 19, 2016 Agenda | October 19, 2016 Minutes
October 28, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee
November 8, 2016 Meeting Cancellation Notice
November 16, 2016 Agenda | November 16, 2016 Minutes
December 2, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee
December 7, 2016 Agenda | December 7, 2016 Minutes
December 16, 2016 Agenda Architectural Review Committee
2015 Landmarks Preservation Board Agendas and Minutes
January 7, 2015 Agenda | January 7, 2015 Minutes
January 21, 2015 Agenda | January 21, 2015 Minutes
February 5, 2015 Agenda | February 5, 2015 Minutes
February 18, 2015 Agenda | February 18, 2015 Minutes
March 4, 2015 Agenda | March 4, 2015 Minutes
March 18, 2015 Agenda | March 18, 2015 Minutes
April 1, 2015 Agenda | April 1, 2015 Minutes
April 10, 2015 Agenda - Architectural Review Committee
April 15, 2015 Agenda | April 15, 2015 Minutes
May 1, 2015 Agenda - Architectural Review Committee
May 6, 2015 Agenda | May 6, 2015 Minutes
May 20, 2015 Agenda | May 20, 2015 Minutes
May 29, 2015 Agenda - Architectural Review Committee
June 3, 2015 Agenda | June 3, 2015 Minutes
June 12, 2015 Agenda - Architectural Review Committee
June 17, 2015 Agenda | June 17, 2015 Minutes
June 26, 2015 Agenda - Architectural Review Committee
July 1, 2015 Agenda | July 1, 2015 Minutes
July 15, 2015 Agenda | July 15, 2015 Minutes
July 31, 2015 Agenda | Architectural Review Committee
August 5, 2015 Agenda | August 5, 2015 Minutes
August 14, 2015 Agenda | Architectural Review Committee
August 19, 2015 Agenda | August 19, 2015 Minutes
August 28, 2015 Agenda | Architectural Review Committee
September 2, 2015 Agenda | September 2, 2015 Minutes
September 11, 2015 Agenda | Architectural Review Committee
September 16, 2015 Agenda | September 16, 2015 Minutes
October 2, 2015 Agenda | Architectural Review Committee
October 7, 2015 Agenda | October 7, 2015 Minutes
October 16, 2015 Agenda | Architectural Review Committee
October 21, 2015 Agenda | October 21, 2015 Minutes
October 30, 2015 Agenda | Architectural Review Committee
November 4, 2015 Agenda | November 4, 2015 Minutes
November 13, 2015 Agenda | Architectural Review Committee
November 18, 2015 Agenda | November 18, 2015 Minutes
December 11, 2015 Agenda | Architectural Review Committee
2014 Landmark Preservation Board Agendas and Minutes
November 5, 2014 Agenda | November 5, 2014 Minutes
November 19, 2014 Agenda | November 19, 2014 Minutes
December 3, 2014 Agenda | December 3, 2014 Minutes
» Archived Landmarks Preservation Board Agendas and Minutes
District boundary of Harvard-Belmont:
Making Changes to a Building in the Harvard-Belmont Landmark District
Jurisdiction over changes and improvements in the District is vested in the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board. To ensure adequate community involvement and contact, a Harvard-Belmont Application Review Committee with local representation was created to make recommendations to the Landmarks Preservation Board. The Review Committee consists of three members selected from property owners, residents, business owners or employees, or officers of institutions within the District boundaries and two members of the Landmarks Preservation Board.
To get your project reviewed and approved, you must submit a completed Application for Certificate of Approval to the Historic Preservation Program. (See Instructions for Applying for a Certificate of Approval.) Once your application is deemed complete, you will be invited to attend a meeting of the Harvard-Belmont Application Review Committee to present your plans. Meetings of the Harvard-Belmont Application Review Committee are held on an as-needed basis. The Landmarks Preservation Board conducts regular meetings on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Go to Harvard-Belmont Application Review Committee Agenda and Landmarks Preservation Board Agenda to learn about upcoming meetings.
To apply for a Certificate of Approval, please follow the instructions on this form:
1. What is the Harvard-Belmont Landmark District?
Designation as a landmark district helps ensure the preservation of this special mix of urban cultural and commercial institutions within a framework of tree-lined streets, well-maintained grounds, and distinctive natural features. More than half of the buildings within district boundaries date from the first decade of the century. The lively eclecticism and high quality of its houses, mostly constructed between 1905 and 1910, give the district an architectural integrity and visual continuity, while the history of the commercially venturesome and socially prominent families who settled there imparts a sense of Seattle's most dynamic period of growth. A second surge of building activity in the 1920s brought distinctive apartment groups and important institutional buildings to the southern edge of the district, which nonetheless retained its essentially residential character. The area today remains a prestigious neighborhood of well-maintained homes, carefully tended gardens, tree-shaded streets, open vistas, and picturesque natural features.
2. What kinds of changes require approval?
A Certificate of Approval issued by the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board is required prior to the issuance of any building, demolition, street use, or other permits for proposed work within the district that is visible from a public right-of-way. This includes exterior alterations or additions to any structure, new construction, and the addition or removal of major landscape and site elements such as retaining walls, gateways, trees or driveways. If you plan to make any change to a site, structure or the exterior of a building in the District contact the Historic Preservation Program as early as possible so we can recommend next steps. Standards for the District are set forth in the District Ordinance (SMC 25.22), the Harvard-Belmont Landmark District Guidelines and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. Contact Historic Preservation Program at (206) 684-0380 for a paper copy of any of these documents.