Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 214 13th AVE / Parcel ID 6003501740 / Inv #

Historic Name: Rosemont Apartments Common Name: Rosemont Apartments Style: Arts & Crafts - Craftsman, Beaux Arts - Neoclassical Neighborhood: Capitol Hill Built By: Year Built: 1917   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. The Rosemont is an impressive classically-styled building constructed in 1917 near the 15th Avenue East commercial district. The first decades of the 20th century brought significant population growth in the wake of the 1897 Klondike gold rush; 25,000 new residents arrived in the city in just the first three years of the century. Apartments flourished from about 1906 until World War I, when economic difficulties slowed development until the mid-1920s. Although this area was some distance from downtown, the streetcar line attracted a number of apartment builders to the area. The nearby Capitol Hill neighborhood, developed by James Moore, began about 1904, so there was a well-established single-family neighborhood by 1917.   Appearance The Rosemont has a shallow I-shaped plan with the corner bays projecting slightly from the center section. It is three stories plus a daylight basement and is of wood frame construction with red brick veneer. The most notable feature is the roof, with deep eaves with pairs of Italianate brackets above a dentilled cornice. The projecting bays on the front have three-part windows multipaned wood sash and paneled wood spandrels, painted white to contrast with the red brick. The center bays have porjecting balconies on the third story. Other detailing incudes two brick chimneys and brick quoins at the corners. The entry contrasts with the Classical detailing elsewhere, as it has battered columns of wood sitting on half-height brick columns, a distinctly Craftsman detail; it may have been added or altered at some unknown date. The columns support a flat wood porch roof with Craftsman detailing. The deeply recessed entry has beautiful beveled glass and leads into the wainscoted lobby. The rear elevation is clad with wood clapboard and has wood balconies at each unit, with French doors. Windows here are newer sash. In the center bay is an enclosed rear entry (perhaps altered) with balconies on the second and third sotries above it, with a pair of two-story columns supporting a flat bracketed roof. There is a metal fire escape on the south elevation. Behind the building is a detached row of garages with folding doors.

Detail for 214 13th AVE / Parcel ID 6003501740 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Brick, Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Unknown Building Type: Domestic - Multiple Family Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: four Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture Integrity Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Slight Major Bibliographic References King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972. City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.

Photo collection for 214 13th AVE / Parcel ID 6003501740 / Inv #

Photo taken Sep 07, 2006 Photo taken Sep 07, 2006 Photo taken