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Summary for 9200 8th AVE / Parcel ID 7972603520 / Inv # FAC004

Historic Name: Engineering Department West Seattle Shops Common Name:
Style: Modern Neighborhood: West Seattle Junction
Built By: Year Built: 1956
 
Significance
The Seattle Engineering Departed constructed this large maintenance facility in 1956 on land that it had acquired from the Seattle Water Department in 1955. The Water Department had acquired the land almost forty years earlier and had constructed the West Seattle Reservoir and the SW Trenton Street Standpipes in the early 1930s. By the early 1950s, the Engineering Department greatly needed a new West Seattle maintenance headquarters to replace their existing shops located at the West Seattle Junction. After determining that expansion in their existing location would be limited and costly, the Engineering Department eventually selected an unused parcel at the southwest corner of the Water Department property. The City Council transferred jurisdiction over the land to the Engineering Department, and planning for the new district maintenance headquarters got underway. Architect Theo Damm, who later worked on the design of the Seattle Municipal Building, prepared plans and specifications for two buildings. One building would house a variety of functions, including an office, a locker room, a repair garage, and a storage facility. The other building would serve as a 13-vehicle garage. In 1956, the new West Seattle shops were completed and occupied. Construction of this facility was part of a program of improvements to upgrade the Engineering Department’s aging physical plant. Over the previous five years, several new facilities were constructed, including the Charles Street Shops south of downtown, the Hillman Garage, Office and Crew Headquarters in the Rainier Valley, and the Traffic Engineering Shops in Wallingford. This building is significant for its association with the development of the Seattle Engineering Department.
 
Appearance
Completed in 1956, this complex is situated on a large two-block parcel east of 8th Avenue SW between SW Barton and SW Cambridge Streets. Westcrest Park borders the northern and eastern margins of the site located a block north of the southern limits of the city at SW Roxbury Street. Two one-story buildings occupy the center of the site, which also includes a large yard used for parking and for the storage of equipment and materials. The longer south building has a rectangular footprint, which measures approximately 175 feet by 31 feet. Thirteen large openings separated by concrete piers line the principal east elevation and contain overhead metal doors. The roof’s parapet wall steps up on the north and south elevations and extends at the higher level along the east elevation. Single entrance doors are located at the eastern ends of the north and south elevations. The north building is comprised of three sections, which create an L-shaped footprint. The taller southern block, which contains a repair garage and storage facility, measures approximately 115 feet by 33 feet. The one-story locker room facility adjoins this block on the north and measures approximately 31 feet by 33 feet. The one-story office wing extends from the east elevation of the locker room facility and measures 16 feet by 19 feet. Eight large openings separated by concrete piers line the principal east elevation of the garage and storage facility constructed of concrete blocks. All but the southernmost bay contain overhead metal doors. The southern bay has two windows above a single entrance door and a window at the ground floor level. The rear west elevation has four windows at the northern end and an entrance door situated north of center. The western end wall of the block has a higher roof parapet. The adjoining locker room block has a band of windows in a single large opening at the eastern end of the north elevation and a center entrance door and adjacent window to the south on the west elevation. This portion of the building is also constructed of concrete blocks. The flat overhanging roof of the office wing extends across the short east elevation of the locker room block and covers the main entrance into this end of the building. A band of windows wrap the south, east and north elevations of the office wing above a brick clad bulkhead. This modest utilitarian building retains good physical integrity.

Detail for 9200 8th AVE / Parcel ID 7972603520 / Inv # FAC004

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick, Concrete - Block Foundation(s): Unknown
Roof Type(s): Flat Roof Material(s): Unknown
Building Type: Transportation - Road- Related Plan: L-Shape
Structural System: Concrete - Block No. of Stories: one
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Conservation, Politics/Government/Law, Transportation
Integrity
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Windows: Intact
Changes to Plan: Intact
Major Bibliographic References
City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
Seattle Engineering Department. Annual report / Engineering Department, City of Seattle. Seattle, WA: 1944-1964.

Photo collection for 9200 8th AVE / Parcel ID 7972603520 / Inv # FAC004


Photo taken Nov 17, 2000
App v2.0.1.0