Dearborn House
The Dearborn House/
Photo:
Marissa Natkin
Located at the corner of Minor Avenue and Seneca Street, the
Dearborn House was built for Henry H. Dearborn in 1907. An
extraordinarily generous gift from an individual allowed Historic
Seattle to acquire the Dearborn House in 1997 and to rehabilitate
it for use as the organizations headquarters. Once surrounded
by countless grand homes, today the Dearborn House if one of
only four single-family residences on First Hill.
Henry H. Dearborn (1844-1909)
was an East Coast investment banker and real estate developer
who played an instrumental role in Seattle's early period of
growth. He saw value in the development of the tide flats and
influenced the direction of the transcontinental railroad being
built south of the city's core. 
Henry H. Dearborn
Dearborn had particular tastes
and strong ideas for his elegant home on First Hill. His vision
was fulfilled by architect Henry Dozier, who created an American
foursquare-style home with Classic embellishments. Unique details
of note include upward turned metal roof eaves and stucco exteriors.
I
In early 2006, Historic Seattle undertook the rehabilitation of the
former Music Room, which was subdivided into small offices with lowered
ceilings when the Dearborn House was being used as a doctors office. In
addition to restoring the original volume of the space, the Music Room
now has open archways once again connecting it with the Front Parlor
and the Dining Room.
Also in 2006, Historic Seattle rehabilitated the basement level of the Dearborn House to house a new preservation resource library, accessible to the public.
Historic Seattle feels fortunate to have such a significant piece of Seattle's heritage as our home. We are pleased to offer regularly scheduled monthly tours of the historic Dearborn and Stimson houses on First Hill in collaboration with the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation