| Historic Name: |
La Crosse Apartments |
Common Name: |
La Crosse Apartments |
| Style: |
Beaux Arts - Neoclassical, Spanish - Mission |
Neighborhood: |
Capitol Hill |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1907 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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The La Crosse is one of the city’s most distinctive apartment buildings, with its square tower providing a striking presence near the 15th Avenue East business district. It has nine units, averaging over 11oo square feet. It was designed by architect Frank H. Perkins in the Mission Revival style with a Beaux Arts influence, a relatively exotic stylistic choice for Seattle. However, the Mission style was not a surprising choice, as Perkins arrived here from Southern California in 1903. He designed many commercial buildings, apartments and houses, including the Chardonnay (originally Bellevue, 1909), the Harrison (1909) and Forest Ridge Convent and School (1910). He practiced in Seattle until 1923.
The La Crosse is one of the oldest apartments in the vicinity, as it was built in 1907, only a few years after the streetcar line came to the area and stores opened nearby. The first decade of the 20th century brought significant population growth in the wake of the 1897 Klondike gold rush; 25,000 new residents arrived in the city in just the first three years of the century. Although this area was some distance from downtown, the streetcar line attracted a number of apartment builders to the area. The nearby Capitol Hill neighborhood, developed by James Moore, was also growing rapidly at this time.
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| Appearance |
| The three-story La Crosse is rectangular in plan with a large square hip-roofed town at the southwest corner. The tower rises a story above the roof and opens up to a rooftop garden; its windows are set into blind arches. The recessed entry, in the center of the west façade, has marble steps flanked by square piers with Corinthian capitals. Above it is a projecting balcony with French doors, sheltered by a deep hipped roof supported by large brackets. The third story has a recessed balcony. A deep wood beltcourse separates the first and second stories. Building corners (other than the one with the tower) are marked by curved parapets typical of the Mission Revival style, with shed roofs with deep bracketed eaves between them. The stucco cladding further emphasizes stylistic influence. The original double-hung windows, mostly in pairs, have diamond-paned upper sash and wide wood surrounds. The building appears to be highly intact. |
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