Walking through this darling Tudor home at 1924 - 11th Avenue West, one can only imagine what it must have been like nearly 88 years ago when this beautiful home was built. Who purchased this home after completion? What did they do for a living? What brought them to Seattle? Thanks to accurately kept records, we know who purchased this home and we can piece together the story of a young man who came to Seattle with his family from Michigan in search of new opportunities.

Floyd Green was born in 1899 on a farm in rural Michigan. Sometime shortly after he was born, the family moved to Seattle. Small family farms were failing across the nation, and many people were moving to cities in search of work. Upon hearing about growth and job openings in Seattle, Floyd’s father packed the family up and moved to Seattle where he worked as a plasterer and bricklayer. The family purchased a home just north of Queen Anne at 2309 North 64th street. Floyd grew up in that house, graduated from high school, then went to work as a Time Keeper for the railroad, which was considered a very good job in the day. Sometime in the 1920s, young Floyd joined the Seattle Police Department. The Great Depression was in full swing, and more than 15 million Americans (one-quarter of all wage-earners) were unemployed. Floyd was extremely fortunate to have a position as a civil servant. At the time he purchased this Queen Anne home, his salary was recorded as $1160 per year. The sale price of the home was just over $4000. It should be noted that the neighbors living on the block list their occupations as Machinist, Chemist, Attorney, Bookkeeper, and Dentist. This was the face of Queen Anne in the 1930s and 1940s.

Floyd met Ethel Johnson sometime in the 1920s, and they were married several years later. Ethel was living at 2352 10th Avenue North on Queen Anne with her parents. While we aren’t certain how they met (perhaps they went to school together) but we do know that Ethel was the daughter of Swedish immigrants. Seattle was known for hosting dances at the Norway Hall, and it is quite possible that they met there. While Floyd and Ethel never had children, they lived in this home and were active members of the Queen Anne community until 1961. Both lived into their 80s.

 

This wonderful home is waiting for the next family to continue the Seattle story.