OpenStreetMap (new tab)

Google Map (new tab)

Google Streetview (new tab)

Building History

The Seattle City Treasurer (1908-1910), William Farrand Prosser (1834-1911) lived in this residence for two years, from 1909 until his death in 1911. Prosser commissioned the Seattle architectural firm of Graham and Myers to design the house. The Seattle Daily Times described the recently finished house in an article of 12/05/1909: "New residence just completed for Col. W.F. Prosser at Tenth Avenue North and Galer Street. It is of old English half-timbered design, three stories high, with thirteen rooms, with hardwood finish throughout. The living room is paneled in Philippine mahogany and the balance of the first fioor in fir. Graham & Myers are the architects." (See "For Col. W.F. Prosser," Seattle Daily Times, 12/05/1909, p. 37.) The Seattle Daily Times got the address wrong in its description of the Prosser House, as it was located at 1006 East Garfield Street, accoridng to R.L. Polk's Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1910, (p. 1283.)

Prosser, born in Williamsport, PA, was a versatile person who did a number of jobs during his lifetime. He did not have much of a formal education, but studied law early in life amd became interested in civil engineering and surveying. He traveled to CA to engage in mining in 1854, but returned to PA to serve in Union Army. Elevated to the rank of colonel, Prosser fought at some of the Civil War's key battles, including those at Shiloh and Stones River. After the war he settled in Nashville, TN, where he was elected to the US House of Representatives during Reconstruction between 1867 and 1869. After this, he was appointed to be Nashville's Postmaster, a notable patronage job, and became a Director of the Tennessee, Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad.

A stalwart within the Republican Party, Prosser obtained another political appointment as a special agent in WA and OR for the United States Department of the Interior. Prosser and his young wife, Flora Louise Thornton (1861-1936), lived in Seattle by 1880, but they relocated to Benton County, WA, by 1882. He platted the WA town of Prosser in 1885, and moved to North Yakima in 1886 to act as the Yakima County Auditor. He returned to Seattle by 1899, at least, where he earned a living making loans from an office in Room #210 of the Washington Building. (See Polk's Seattle Directory Company's Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1899, p. 796 and Polk's Seattle Directory Company's Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1900, p. 847.) Prosser served as a Vice-President of the Fidelity Trust Company between 1903 and 1905. (See R.L. Polk's Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1903, p. 953 and R.L. Polk's Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1905, p. 990.) In 1903, he and Flora resided at 208 15th Avenue North in Capitol Hill.

After William's death, Flora did not stay in this house too long. She remained here in 1912 (See R.L. Polk's Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1912, p. 1141), but seems to have moved out by 1913. (She was not listed in the 1913 Seattle city directory.) By 1915, she had moved to 516 East Harrison Street in Capitol Hill,

During World War II housing shortages, the Prosser House was compartmentalized into four apartments. The interior designer Jean Hammond, who purchased the place in 1957, renovated the rundown interior and maintained it as separate apartments. The upstairs apartment complete with dining room, two bathrooms, two fireplaces and a balcony, was rented out, c. 2010 to the interior designer Tim Pfeiffer. Entry to the upper floor was gained via the former service stairs accessed by a side entry. This house by Graham and Myers dated from a boom year in Seattle residential construction, 1909. The architects sited the dwelling on a lot that measured 10,400 sq. ft. (0.24 acre) in size. The total square footage was 10,160 square feet, with 2,980 on the first floor, 2,550 on the second and 2,830 in a finished basement.

Building Notes

Clinker brick cladded the first floor of this three-story, Tudor Revival residence. Upper floors were covered in stucco with the gable dormers featuring half-timbering. The design was composed symmetrically, creating a tri-partite composition of bays on the front facade. Designer David Myers positioned the front door centrally, inset into main facade. According to architectural historian Lawrence Kreisman, "The originally simple service entrance at the side of the house was expanded early on to be nearly as ornate, with an arched hood and stained-glass windows." (See Lawrence Kreisman, "An English Revival's top floor gets a top-drawer remake," Seattle Times Northwest Magazine, 07/10/2010,Accessed 02/02/2012.)

In 1901, Prosser was the President of the Washington State Historical Society, meeting in Tacoma. (SeePolk Seattle Directory Company's Seattle City Directory, 1901, p. 76.)