Structure Type: built works - dwellings - houses

Designers: Bebb and Mendel, Architects (firm); Charles Herbert Bebb ; Louis Leonard Mendel Sr. (architect)

Dates: constructed 1907

1821 17th Avenue
Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA 98122

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John T. Heffernan (c. 1866-1946), a mechanical engineer, was the proprietor of Heffernan Engine Works, a manufacturer marine engines. The Hefferan Engine Works operated at 108 Railroad Avenue in 1901. In 1910, he lived here with his wife Nellie (born c. 1876 in CA) and their four children, John, Jr. (born in WA, c. 1899-1942), Frank (born c. 1900 in WA) , Robert (born c. 1902 in WA) and Grace (born c. 1905 in WA).

Architects Bebb and Mendel, operating one of the most accomplished partnerships in the city, designed this 3-story, Tudor Revival residence for Heffernan and his family. The first floor was clad with thin clapboard siding while the second was half-timbered, with plaster panels infilled within the decorative beamwork. A complex hipped and gabled roof covered the structure. At this time in Seattle, Tudor Revival styling was especially popular, and this was a large and impressive example of the idiom, underscoring the Heffernan's financial standing and taste. Archival material on the house can be found in the Carl F. Gould Collection, University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division.

PCAD id: 11759