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Building History

This Queen Anne Style house probably had its plan and details derived from a plan book, a popular way to design and build a house in the 19th century. An important residence in Seattle history, it was the home of pioneer sawmill owner David Thomas Denny (1832-1903) and his wife Louisa Boren Denny and their 8 children from c. 1888-1893. Denny came to the Pacific Northwest with his elder brother Arthur (1822-1899) from Cherry Grove, IL, (a small village in Knox County), members of the first party of whites to settle along Elliott Bay. Following his marriage in 1853, Denny staked a claim that encompassed what would become Seattle Center, parts of Queen Anne and the Denny Triangle. Denny Way was the southern border to his property. Involved in various businesses, including farming, lumber, trolley systems and real estate, he amassed a large fortune during the 1850s-1880s; in 1890, he was President of three companies: the Western Mill Company, Union Water Company, and Washington Improvement Company. A year later, he was also the Treasurer of the Grant City Electric Railway Company. A prominent citizen, Denny also became involved in local politics, serving as a King County Commissioner, Seattle City Councilman, a probate judge, Regent of the Territorial University of Washington, and President of the Seattle School Board. Like many, David Denny's Family lost their grand new house and almost all of its wealth in the nationwide speculative bubble that burst in 1893. They were forced to live their last years in small houses in Fremont and Licton Springs (Green Lake). In 1901, the Polk's Seattle Directory indicated that Denny worked as a miner, and resided at 3449 Woodland Avenue in the Fremont Neighborhood of Seattle.

Building Notes

Writer Lawrence Cheek and a Seattle Met magazine panel named the David T. Denny House #4 one of the "10 Greatest Seattle Homes" in 2012. Seen from the exterior, this pleasant 3-story dwelling had the complexity of form, detail and cladding typical of the Queen Anne, but whether it warranted be called one of the ten best designs is certainly debatable. (See Lawrence Cheek, "Seattle's 10 Greatest Homes," Seattle Met, 01/2012, p. 43.) The Denny residence was located at 512 Queen Anne Avenue, what was originally known as "Temperance Avenue." Not surprisingly, David Denny was a prominent opponent of bars and alcohol in Seattle.

Demolition

The Denny Residence was moved from its original site at 512 Queen Anne Avenue and turned into an apartment building. Its owners razed in in 1938.

PCAD id: 17591