Queen Anne Yesterday & Today

In this 1903 photo, three ladies stroll by vacant lots on Highland Drive while a young girl waits for them to catch up with her on 1st Ave. N.

Looking east, Highland Drive and 1st Ave N.

The shingle style home on the right was designed by Seattle architect Edwin Houghton in 1899 for attorney Charles Riddle. Considered to be among the finest examples of the shingle style in Seattle, the Riddle House still stands but has been altered. The neoclassical revival style home on the left belonged to Seattle businessman James W. Clise. The home served as a boarding house during the Depression, and sat vacant for a time before being used as housing for war workers and soldiers’ families during WWII. The home was later destroyed and the lot subdivided; the three houses occupying the land today were built in the mid-1970s.

In today’s image the Riddle House is blocked by mature trees, but the Polson House is visible on the right. Built in 1906, the early Craftsman Style home remained in the Polson family for nearly 100 years. The Polson House featured an elevator (removed), which is believed to be the first installed in a Seattle residence. The current owners undertook an extensive restoration after purchasing the historic home in 2011.

For more information on the Polson House, visit https://qahistory.org/polson-house/

Photo courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives, #172580