Cayton-Revels House - Landmark Nomination Approved!
On February 17, 2021, the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board considered the nomination for the Cayton-Revels House. Below is the testimony I provided:
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I’m here to voice support for the Seattle landmarks designation for the Cayton-Revels House at 518 14th Avenue East.
In reviewing the landmark nomination criteria, there are 4 this property meets:
1. “It is associated in a significant way with the life of a person important in the history of the city, state, or nation.”
2. “It is associated in a significant way with a significant aspect of the cultural, political, or economic heritage of the community, city, state or nation.”
3. “It is the location of or is associated in a significant way with an historic event with a significant effect upon the community, city, state, or nation.”
4. “It embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of an architectural style, period, or a method of construction.”
As noted by Dr. Quintard Taylor the Caytons were “the most prominent African American couple in the Pacific Northwest by 1900.”
Horace and Susie with their children Ruth, Madge, , Horace Jr., and Revels, resided at 518 14th Avenue East in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood for approximately 10 years.
Horace and Susie launched the Seattle Republican newspaper. At its height, the newspaper had the second-largest circulation in the city, ceasing publication in 1913 and later followed up by Cayton’s Weekly. The Cayton’s body of work encompasses 15 years of reporting on virtually every single significant local event, including the 1909 Alaska-Yukon Pacific Exposition.
Virulent racial discrimination culminated in the Caytons being displaced from the house. Despite facing these enormous challenges, Horace and Susie traveled over 2,000 miles from Mississippi seeking a better life. They bettered the lives of many, connecting Black American communities together through their writings and political, social and civic activities, achievements, and overall contributions, encouraging discourse and debate.
As extensively detailed in the nomination, the Cayton-Revels house reflects the Queen Anne style with Victorian details.
Over a hundred years after it was constructed, the house has been minimally impacted by substantial renovations. Current property owners Erie Jones and Kathleen Jo Ackerman were kind enough to provide a tour.
Many of the historic details are visible, with the property well-maintained.
The Cayton-Revels House is truly a rarity, a fully intact Victorian era home vividly demonstrating the Black American presence in Seattle.
This landmark recognition is necessary to preserve the building in a neighborhood whose character is rapidly changing with new construction.
Thank you.
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