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Summary for 2224 8th AVE / Parcel ID 0660000435 / Inv #

Historic Name: Century House Motor Hotel Common Name: La Quinta Inn
Style: Modern Neighborhood: Denny Triangle
Built By: Year Built: 1960
 
Significance
This 7-story motor hotel, originally known as the Century House Motor Hotel, was built in 1960, shortly before the 1962 Century 21 Exposition at the nearby Seattle Center. The 1950s-60s was a period of intensive motel development in this vicinity. This area was ideally located between Aurora Avenue (SR 99) and downtown Seattle, so owners could take advantage of the popularity of auto travel following the austerity of the Depression and World War II, and the 1962 world’s fair provided additional impetus. These blocks had been regraded just as the Depression began, so little development had occurred and property was considerably less expensive than downtown, so that ample parking and landscaping could be provided.
 
Appearance
This motel is taller than its neighbors, much like a hotel on stilts, with interior hallways. The concrete base has a distinctive Neoexpressionist curve that evokes the 1960s. The main volume is T-shaped, with the western section extending over the driveway to form a sheltered area for cars, demonstrating the auto-orientation of the motor hotel form. The windows have been replaced with modern vinyl sash.

Detail for 2224 8th AVE / Parcel ID 0660000435 / Inv #

Status: No - Altered
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Concrete Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Flat Roof Material(s): Unknown
Building Type: Domestic - Hotel Plan: T-Shape
Structural System: Concrete - Poured No. of Stories: seven
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Transportation
Integrity
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Windows: Extensive
Changes to Plan: Intact
Major Bibliographic References
Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.

Photo collection for 2224 8th AVE / Parcel ID 0660000435 / Inv #


Photo taken Mar 18, 2007
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