Bowen/Huston House

Built: 1913
Architect: Harris & Coles

Designated: 1983

715 W Prospect St
Seattle, WA 98119

View designation documents

View related articles: Betty Bowen, Cultural Activist

The Bowen-Huston residence was originally built for O. J. O'Callahan, using plans ordered from the firm Harris and Coles. Under the name The Bungalow Company, Inc., Harris and Coles designed and distributed plans for a number of Craftsman houses. This structure was the home of arts patron Betty Bowen (1919-1977), who was an original member of the Seattle Art Commission and was frequently referred to as “den mother of the city's arts.” She promoted the careers of many regional artists, including Mark Tobey, Leo Kenny, Richard Gilkey, and Morris Graves. She was also a founding member of the Northwest Arts and Crafts Center and the Allied Arts Historic Conservation Committee of Seattle. She also helped organize preservation efforts for the city's Pike Place Market. Two days before her death (February 16, 1977) Seattle Mayor Wes Uhlman named her “First Citizen of Seattle.”

— excerpted from Northern Architecture