Seattle Historical Sites

In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.

In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the registration requirements established in the National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Listing, Seattle Apartment Buildings, 1900–1957, for a low-rise apartment block.

This Beaux Arts influenced multi-family building is in the Uptown neighborhood and is known as the Avalon Apartments.

An advertisement in December 1907 The Seattle Daily Times (published as the Seattle Sunday Times) announced the recent completion of the apartment building and promoted it as “the most elegantly furnished housekeeping apartments in the West. Modern and perfect in every detail. Beautiful marine view. Roof garden and banquet hall.” The building had a total of thirty apartment units, with ten on each floor and was just a couple blocks from street car lines.

The Grote-Rankin store provided all of the furnishings for the building, which included interior trim (weathered oak, golden oak, and mahogany), as well as everything from carpeting, silverware, plates, glassware and linens needed to walk in “with your groceries and in ten to fifteen minutes have a meal well under way.” Mrs. E. D. Painter of Los Angeles managed the apartment building. Grote-Ranking also provided complete housefurnishing for the Buena Vista Apartments (built 1907, Boylston Avenue and East Olive Street).

The building retains moderate integrity and is a good representative of an early 1900s apartment building.

References:

‘The Grote-Rankin Co. Scores Another Triumph in Complete Housefurnishing.’ Seattle Daily Times, November 03, 1907: 15.

Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890–1996.

Seattle Daily Times, December 29, 1907: 36.

Seattle Daily Times, January 26, 1908: 37.

Constructed ca. 1907, this three story multi-family building is a two-part vertical block form and features a U-shaped plan. It stands at the northwest corner of John Street and First Avenue N. The building faces south, overlooking John Street. The U-shaped plan creates a light court at the rear that extends up from the first story level. The building is built out to the lot lines. The site features four street trees along John Street (Japanese flowering cherry, Prunus ‘Amanogawa’) in the planting strip. The site slopes downward from east to west.

A flat roof with parapets shelters interior spaces and is clad in rolled roofing. A prominent sheet metal cornice with projecting dentils wraps the parapet. The parapet above the cornice is clad with metal and the parapet has a sheet metal cap.

A parged concrete foundation supports the building’s brick masonry structure and base level. Cream colored brick clads the building’s south, east, and west, and the east portion of the north facade. Brick courses on the south, east, and west facades are laid up in a Flemish bond at the first story with stretcher course veneer at the upper stories. Common red brick laid up in a stretcher bond clads the north rear facade. The first story features a recessed brick course every fifth course. This provides a pronounced horizontal banding to the building’s first story base. A terra cotta or stone course transitions from the first to second story and serves as a continuous sill for the second story windows. The second and third stories function as a single visual unit, with projecting brick quoins at the outer building corners and a projecting brick band along the top of the third story. These elements frame the main field on the south, east and west facades. The upper wall portion below the cornice features brick corbeling along the bottom edge of the cornice frieze. A metal fire escape projects off the east facade.

Windows consist of single units with stone or terra cotta lug sills at the first and third stories and a continuous sill at the second story on the south and east facades. All have flat headers and wood brick moldings. Basement level windows on the southwest corner of the building have exterior metal security grilles. Windows on the west facade have rowlock brick sills.

The main south entrance is located mid-facade with projecting brick piers supporting a dentiled entablature. A single-lite transom set in a wood frame spans the main opening. A granite step leads to a ceramic tile entry marble clad stairway and flanking subway tile walls. An added, recessed aluminum sash doorway and transom provide tenant access. The vestibule features decorative ceiling detailing including an egg and dart molding and modillions framing a central field with a ceiling mounted light fixture. A secondary entrance off the west alley consists of a flush panel metal door.

Alterations replaced all the windows with aluminum sliders and casements. A portion of the west end of the south facade’s parapet appears to have been rebuilt with slightly lighter brick.