It’s time for a monthly trip back into our neighborhood’s history, courtesy of the Queen Anne Historical Society. This month’s photo features the Black House, a home that no longer exists today – although the site will be familiar to anyone who frequents Kerry Park.
The Black House, W Highland Dr & 3rd Ave W
by Michael Herschensohn, President, Queen Anne Historical Society
J.C. Black House, ca. 1940
Photo courtesy of UW Special Collections (image UW13926)
The J. C. Black House was built 1914 on the corner of W Highland Drive and 3rd Ave W facing Kerry Park. Its architect, Andrew Willatsen, trained in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park, Illinois office before moving to Seattle in 1907.
The Black House embodied many of the characteristic elements of Wright’s Prairie School style, including the deep, overhanging eaves and the ribbon of windows along the front of the second story. Local citizens loved the house for its elegant beauty and its association with Willatsen and Wright.
For many years, its owner thwarted efforts to landmark the house. Consequently, it had no protection under the City of Seattle’s preservation ordinance. The estate of Fred Tolan sold the Black House in 2003 for $2.3 million to Ken Woolcott, a Seattle investor who, shocking neighbors, tore it down over the three-day MLK weekend in January 2004.
The lot remained empty for seven years. In 2011, the Kerry Park Court townhouses were completed and offered for $3.2 million each. Some of the townhouses remain on the market today.
Seen in the lower center of both images, one small portion of the J. C. Black House garden wall survives to remind us of Andrew Willatsen’s stunning design and Frank Lloyd Wright’s early influence on Queen Anne. To learn more, visit the Queen Anne Historical Society website.