Hot dog, a QUEEN ANNE!
The profusion of Queen Anne style houses constructed at the end of 19th C. is said to have given our neighborhood its name, yet almost all of them are gone. (I think all the earliest houses were built in the style. Naturally, few survive because few were built in the first place. I must test this hypothesis, but all the early photos show the south slope peppered with the occasional house and lots of empty space.)
One of the best surviving Queen Anne style houses, the Marble/Lindsley House lingers at 520 W. Kinnear Pl. on the steep rise a bit east of where Kinnear merges with W. Prospect. Built in 1890 by Galette and Rachel Marble, the house later sold to Edward and Abbie Lindsley. Abbie ties the house to Seattle’s earliest Euro-American settlers and certainly Queen Anne’s. David and Louisa Boren Denny were her parents. She was born in 1858 and was probably one of the earliest Uptown babies. The Marble House appears in the 2003 Historic Resources Survey -- and like most of the buildings in the survey, it is not a city landmark.
Francophones will chortle at Galette Marble’s first name. Galette des Rois or King Cake is a well-known winter treat often served in France on Epiphany, January 6.
The following text is borrowed with minor edits from the survey which was led by Mimi Sheridan: Significance: The Marble/Lindsley House was constructed about 1890. Because of the Great Seattle Fire of June 6, 1889, masons were in high demand to reconstruct the burned down city. Brick contractor Galette Marble (1844-c. 1917) could choose from dozens of job opportunities when he arrived in Seattle during the first half of 1890. Born in New York, by 1865 Marble was living in Minnesota where he married Rachel (b. 1842), who had recently moved from Canada. In June 1890, Galette and Rachel purchased some Queen Anne Hill property from land developer George Kinnear and mortgaged the property to finance the construction of a house. Marble knew most aspects of the building trades including carpentry, and he likely constructed the house. Within weeks after work on the residence started, the Marbles were living in a partially constructed house. The household included Galette, Rachael, daughters Marion (b. 1870), Adalbott (b. 1858), and Florence (b. 1884). By the end of 1890, the house was likely completed, although Marble might have continued working on it into early 1891. During most of the 1890s, Galette Marble worked as a mason and brick contractor. Marble’s commute to various job sites involved a one block walk from his house to catch the Kinnear Park streetcar line that ran along Olympic Place to downtown Seattle. During the Alaska and Klondike gold frenzy, Marble mined for gold and later operated a cigar store. In December 1891, the Marbles sold the house to Edward and Abbie Lindsley who moved in with their five children: Laurence (age 13), Mabel (age 12), Irena (age 11), Winnie (age 10), and Norman (age 8). Edward Lindsley (b. ca 1853) worked for the south Lake Union Western Mill as a foreman and engineer. After leaving the sawmill, he became a teamster. Lindsley, born and raised in Wisconsin, later moved west and in 1877 married Abbie Denny (1858-1915). Washington-born Abbie Denny was the daughter of David and Louisa Denny. David and Louisa Denny were among Seattle’s first Euro-American settlers and homesteaded the lower Queen Anne and south Lake Union districts. Abbie Lindsley became a well-known local painter and wrote numerous articles for local and regional magazines and newspapers. The Lindsleys lived in the house until August 1895 and remained in Seattle until 1907.
Some later owners and occupants include Otto Nelson, Muriel E. Leche, and Charles L. Martin. Nelson purchased the house in the early 1920s and owned it until the late 1940s. He worked as a mailer for The Seattle Times. Muriel E. Leche lived in the duplex from World War II until the 1960s. She worked as a clerk for American Mail Line, as a nurse, and an office secretary. In 1971, Charles L. Martin purchased the house.
The house has had a variety of addresses. From 1891 through 1895, it was 120 Elliott. The 1905 and 1917 Sanborn Map lists the house at 600 Kinnear. The 1950 Sanborn map shows the residence at 500 and 522 Kinnear Place. The 1975 Historic Seattle Survey of the Queen Anne neighborhood lists the house as Significant to the City. The 1979 Seattle Historic Resources Survey inventoried the house.
Few residences exist from Seattle's first major building boom (1887-1891). The Queen Anne style residence appears to meet City of Seattle Landmark criteria due to the age of the structure (over 110 years old) with alterations that are sympathetic with original design.
Sources (see Reference below for complete citations):
Crowley p. 176 (Rachel Mable House 1890) Woodbridge, Guide to Architecture in Washington. p. 197.
"Mrs. Mary Maria Lindsley" Meany, Living Pioneers … p. 205.
"Seattle-Born Woman and Pioneer Passes." (Abbie Denny Lindsley) Seattle Post-Intelligencer October 8, 1915. Clipping file. Special Collections, University of Washington Library.
"Abbie Denny Lindsley Dies at Chelan Home" The Seattle Times October 7, 1915. Clipping file. Special Collections, University of Washington Library Sanborn-Perris Map Co., Seattle, Washington. 1893. volume 2 sheet 78.
Appearance
The Queen Anne style 1890 Marble/Lindsley House with a conical roof tower and curved glass windows. In the 1920s owner Otto Nelson added a rear porch (Permit # 216723), portion of roof altered, and an attic window was added (Permit # 218379), and rebuilt porch (in rear?) (Permit # 262310). Some additions added in the 1970s included a shed roof dormer to east side roof, balcony to third floor with door replacing original window, fretwork added to gable end and other architectural details added.
Detail for 520 W Kinnear PL W / Parcel ID 3879901530 /
Cladding(s): Shingle, Vertical - Boards, Wood - Drop siding
Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable
Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family
Plan: Irregular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame
No. of Stories: two