Frederick Spencer Stimson was the manager of the Stimson Mill in Ballard and with his brother C.D. Stimson prospered in the lumber business. Fred bought this property on West Highland Drive with a dramatic view of the harbor and began planning an equally substantial house for his family. He liked the English style, as did his neighbors Albert S. Kerry, Harry W. Treat and Charles H. Black. All these men went shopping for an architect and chose Charles Bebb, who designed this three-story house with stucco and half-timbered upper floors rising above a fortress-like stone ground floor punctuated by shingled bays on the south side. The cross-gabled roof with overhanging eaves terminate in decorative truss verge-boards. Notice the second floor sleeping balcony in the old photo which was popular and considered healthy at the time. Besides the impressive oak entrance foyer and drawing room there are a ballroom, billiard room and a sunroom. …Continue reading “Stimson-Griffiths House – 405 W Highland Drive”
