Dearborn House

Built in 1907, this property was the private residence of Henry Dearborn and his family until 1953. Thereafter, it became an office and clinic for medical professionals. The property is one of the few remaining historically significant homes in the First Hill neighborhood. Designed in the American Foursquare style with Classical embellishments, it also features Craftsman elements, including Prairie School stained glass windows and French doors. The Henry Dearborn House was designated as a Seattle Landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. Today, it serves as an administrative headquarters for the non-profit preservation organization, Historic Seattle.

After relocating to Seattle in 1880, Henry H. Dearborn began to invest in real estate, becoming one of the city’s first major developers. He established an investment firm, H.H. Dearborn, in 1887. While endorsing and promoting the construction of the Northern Pacific railway, he also began investing in the development of the city’s southern waterfront near the tidelands. Along with his brothers, who were also involved with Seattle real estate, Dearborn is said to have suggested the particular angle at which the city’s piers needed to be built in order to structurally support the construction of new railway lines.

By 1904, Dearborn commissioned the architect Henry Dozier to design a home for his family in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood. A few years later, a veranda was added around the east and south sides of the home in 1912. The interior of the home featured several unique details, such as mahogany wainscoting, French doors, pocket doors, classical columns, and Prairie School style ‘art glass’ (stained glass) windows. Converted into an eye surgery clinic in 1953, the property served as medical offices for several decades. A historic carriage house and horse stables behind the main home were also converted into an ancillary space for medical surgeries until the late 1990s.

Today, the Dearborn House is one of four remaining historical homes still in existence in the neighborhood. The other three homes in this group include the Tudor Revival-style Stimson-Green Mansion (1901), the W.D. Hofius House (1902), and the late Victorian-era Martin V.B. Stacy House (1888). Although the neighborhood has since become the site of several modern medical complexes and high-rise condominiums that overshadow the smaller properties, the streets around the Dearborn House still contain a handful of historic homes from around the turn of the twentieth century. Acquired by Historic Seattle in 1997, the Dearborn House was designated a City Landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

"Dearborn House", Historic Seattle. Accessed September 5th, 2023. https://historicseattle.org/project/dearborn/.

"Dearborn House", HistoryLink. Accessed September 5th, 2023. https://historylink.tours/stop/dearborn-house/.

"Washington SP, Dearborn, Henry H., House: Nomination Form, National Register of Historic Places", National Archives. November 13th, 1997. Accessed September 5th, 2023. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75612346.