Seattle Landmarks: Beacon Hill First Baptist Church (1910)

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Address: 1607 S Forest Street, Seattle. In 1910, Ellsworth Storey (1879-1960) designed this craftsman style frame building as the Beacon Hill Congregational Church. It included large Tudor arched windows and a square tower with Tudor arches. Storey was very original in his design, departing from the trend at the time toward eclectic Romanesque, Classical, Mission, and Gothic styles.

The building was altered over the years. Its wooden shingle exterior was replaced with asphalt shakes. In 1931, one entrance was removed during modifications.

In 1966, the congregation merged with Olivet Congregational Church and sold the structure to the Mars Hill Baptist Church. It later became home to the Beacon Hill First Baptist Church.

The Seattle City Council designated the church a Seattle Landmark on December 28, 1981, because it represented an outstanding example of Storey's work and because of its distinctive architectural style.

Sources:
Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Landmarks Preservation Board, 700 Third Avenue, 4th Floor, Seattle, Washington; Lawrence Kreisman, Made to Last: Historic Preservation in Seattle and King County, (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1999), 58-59.

By Dave Wilma, April 17, 2001

This file made possible by:
The SCHOONER Project:
The Hon. Jan Drago
Seattle City Council
Seattle Department of Neighborhoods

Beacon Hill First Baptist Church, 2001
Photo by David Wilma