Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 400 NE 115th ST NE / Parcel ID 6411600214 / Inv # SPU013

Historic Name: Northgate Pump Station Common Name: Style: Art Deco, Art Deco - Streamline Moderne Neighborhood: Northgate Built By: Year Built: 1950   Significance The Seattle Water Department constructed this reinforced concrete pump station in 1950 when it was still located outside of the northern city limits at 85th Street. Construction of the new pump station was necessary to improve service to existing and future customers in the immediate area and further to the north. By the late 1940s, the City’s population center had shifted north, a trend, which would accelerate after extensive annexations north to 145th Street between 1950 and 1954. Between 1948 and 1949, the demand for Seattle water by its customers north of the city limits more than doubled, increasing from just over one billion gallons to almost two and a half billion gallons. Construction of the Northgate Pump Station was part of the Water Departments response to the north end’s increasingly insistent requests for Seattle water. Though modest in scale, this pump station exhibits Streamline Moderne stylistic features, unique among all Water Department properties. The Northgate Pump Station is significant for its design and for its association with the growth and development of the Seattle water system.   Appearance Completed in 1950, this modest one-story concrete building exhibits Streamline Moderne stylistic influences. These include a flat roof, a smooth wall finish, and a distinctive curved southwest corner on an essentially square-plan building wrapped by a large window opening and a low roman brick planter. A narrower window opening high on the wall wraps the small wing, which extends from the southeast corner. Originally set with glass blocks, these openings were later infilled with concrete as were all other window openings. The principal south elevation features a single entrance door covered by a marquee, which rests on three metal poles on one side and extends over the small wing on the other. A "SEATTLE WATER DEPARTMENT" sign is incised in the concrete above the entrance. The original door with glass block sidelights has been replaced. However, the original double metal doors at the northern end of the west elevation remain. Both the north and east elevations have three infilled window openings at center. Measuring approximately 30 feet by 30 feet, this small building is situated on a large corner lot with a circular drive on the southwest corner and a parking area on the western side. Despite the window and door alterations, this building is well maintained with good physical integrity.

Detail for 400 NE 115th ST NE / Parcel ID 6411600214 / Inv # SPU013

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Concrete Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat Roof Material(s): Unknown Building Type: Industry/Processing/Extraction - Waterworks Plan: Square Structural System: Concrete - Poured No. of Stories: one Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Science & Engineering Integrity Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Extensive Major Bibliographic References King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives. McWilliams, Mary. Seattle Water Department History, 1854-1954: Operational Data and Memoranda. Seattle, WA: Water Department, City of Seattle, c1955. Seattle Water Department. Annual report / City of Seattle, Water Department. Seattle, WA: 1908-1965.

Photo collection for 400 NE 115th ST NE / Parcel ID 6411600214 / Inv # SPU013

Photo taken Jul 20, 2000