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AKA: Thomsen, Moritz and Marie, House, First Hill, Seattle, WA; Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart Nurses' Dormitory, First Hill, Seattle, WA
Structure Type: built works - dwellings - houses
Designers: Fisher, Elmer, H., Architect (firm); Ranke, Otto, Building Contractor (firm); Elmer Horace Fisher (architect); Otto Ranke (building contractor)
Dates: constructed 1890-1891, demolished 1957
3 stories
Building History
Seattle architect Elmer H. Fisher (c. 1844-1905) concentrated on commercial buildings in his Seattle practice; this was the largest residential commission that he undertook for the German-born building contractor, Otto Ranke (d. 1892). The Ranke House was one of approximately 40 mansions erected on First Hill in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The contractor didn't live long to enjoy his residence, as he died at either age 49 or 50.
Moritz and Marie Thomsen purchased the mansion in c. 1899, and resided here with their four daughters and one son until c. 1925; Thomsen served as the President of the Centennial Mill Company. The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred House purchased the dwelling in 1925 to house its nursing students working at nearby Columbus Hospital.
Building Notes
The Ranke House was 3-story, Queen Anne Style building with a large wrap-around front porch and a corner turret. It was a relatively late work by architect Elmer Fisher in Seattle, dating from 1890-1891. Fisher would leave the city for Los Angeles in 1894.
Demolition
The Ranke House was razed in 1957 to make room for a 7-story addition to the Columbus Hospital; this addition was itself closed in 1990 and demolished in 1994.
PCAD id: 4660
