| Historic Name: |
"Commercial Building for A. J. Eberharter"/ Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company |
Common Name: |
Aloha Printing and Copying |
| Style: |
Commercial |
Neighborhood: |
South Lake Union |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1933 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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Like many of the early warehouses in South Lake Union of the 1920s and 1930s, 228 Dexter Avenue North was designed in 1933 by architect W. R. Grant for A. J. Eberharter. While there have been some changes to one of the Dexter Avenue storefronts, enough of the building’s brick detailing and general appearance remain to make it identifiable as a work by W. R. Grant. Grant designed several warehouses for the same client, A. J. Eberharter, in the South Lake Union area. On Dexter Avenue alone, in addition to this building, Grant and his client Mr. Eberharter were responsible for 430 Dexter Avenue N (#151), 509 Dexter Avenue N (#163) and 513 Dexter Avenue North (#162).
They are all typically one story brick buildings, with storefronts and clerestories, and usually raised parapets over one bay or symmetrically placed over bays, if the elevation has more than three bays as in the case of 430 Dexter Avenue North, which is in the close vicinity. As in the case of 400 Dexter Avenue North, Grant has relied on a more intricate use of brickwork and less on the contrast between brick and cast stone ornament or on raised parapets.
Outside of the South Lake Union neighborhood, W. R. Grant was also responsible for Christ Episcopal Church in the University District and for the West Home Funeral Chapel in the West Seattle Junction neighborhood. He worked as an architect from 1911 to 1954 and in partnership with his son from 1947 to 1954.
Pittsburgh Plate Glass was an early tenant of the building, at least from 1938 and onward. Based on drawings at the City of Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development, interior alterations were made to the building for Pittsburg Plate Glass in 1957, although the listed owner was “Grace Worthington et al.” In 1967, Pittsburg Plate Glass was still housed in the building. In 1979, architects Thor T. Osbo and LeCair/ Radburn and Company, Industrial Planners and Engineers, did interior remodeling for new offices for the Korry Manufacturing Company, also associated with 777 Thomas Street (#143) and with 223 8th Avenue North (#145)
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| Appearance |
| This one story building is clad in rug brick and has a concrete foundation. It has a flat roof, with a simple, rectilinear parapet. The rug brick is displayed in a variety of browns, in addition to brownish yellow and orange colors. The building has two street facing elevations, one along Dexter Avenue North and the other on Thomas Street. The Dexter Avenue façade has two bays, each with storefrontage and a recessed doorway. The north bay has been modified, while the south bay is virtually intact. The south bay, symmetrically composed, has two storefronts, which angle (at about 60 degrees from the face of the building) into a recessed wooden door. The storefront hardware is thin and made of metal and appears to be original. By contrast, the northern bay may have been rebuilt: while the general configuration of the historic storefront has been retained, the angles of the storefront have been replaced by right angles and the door is a modern metal frame double door. The concrete of the foundation above ground in the area of the recessed doorway also looks new. Based on a photo from 1953, some of the changes we see today had already been made, with clerestories filled in with some sort of light colored paneling.
While the storefronts on the south bay of the Dexter Avenue elevation have been modified, the real distinguishing characteristic of the building is the detailing of its brick work above the storefronts. This consists of a checkerboard pattern of implied squares, each made up of three stretcher bricks, which are parallel to each other. In most cases, each set of parallel stretchers has, adjacent to it, groupings of perpendicular stretchers. The variation in the color of the textured rug brick is also particularly noticeable here. The brick detailing is consistent from the Dexter Avenue North elevation to the Thomas Street elevation.
Turning the corner from Dexter Avenue North, the Thomas Street elevation is divided into four bays. At the first bay from the west, it retains an almost intact storefront, but with clerestory windows, painted white. The second bay now includes a garage door, in addition to a new entry door with overhead clerestory, all rebuilt. The last three bays are intact and include three large window openings with industrial sash glazing. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
INV |
| Cladding(s): |
Brick, Concrete, Wood |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat with Parapet |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Commercial/Trade - Warehouse |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Brick |
No. of Stories: |
one |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Manufacturing/Industry |
| Integrity |
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Storefront: |
Moderate |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.
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City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.
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Sheridan, M. “West Home Funeral Chapel, 4400 California SW, Seattle, WA – West Seattle Junction,” “Historic Property Inventory Report,” City of Seattle Historic Neighborhood Inventory Database. 10 February 2002.
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