Seattle Historical Sites

This commercial building is in the Uptown neighborhood.

Louis D. Ambrosio had the building built. The original building featured three 1947 storefronts and a five-car garage behind the building. No builder or architect were identified on the original drawings. Originally each storefront had with central recessed entry, brick bulkhead, brick piers, and plate glass display windows. A single continuous marquee extended across the full facade. Eba’s Mutual Groceries and the butcher shop chain Pig’N-Steer Markets opened in the building’s south two storefronts by 1932 (520–522 Queen Anne Avenue N). Frank R. Jeffrey was president of Eba’s Mutual Groceries company; Earl M. Eba secretary; and C. M. Cook treasurer. The main office was at 3135 Western Ave and there were 23 markets citywide. The Pig’N-Steer Market had at least seven butcher shops throughout Seattle by 1930.

 Casper W. Clarke purchased the building in June of 1935. Both stores remained through 1939. In 1941 the listing in the Polk directory changed to Tradewell Stores Inc., a grocery store. They remained through 1944. In January of 1945 the Auditorium Drug Company purchased the building. By 1948 Ken’s Meats and Sinnett's Shurfine Food Center (also known as Sinnett’s Thriftway Food Center) opened in the building. They remained in the building through 1975. Grant Moulas purchased the building in January of 1964.

By 1932 the Mecca Café opened in the north storefront at 524 Queen Anne Avenue N and was operated by C. Preston Smith. This was different from the Mecca, which at the time was a cigar and card room at 610 First Avenue. By 1938 the Mecca Café had moved north one storefront into the adjacent building and its current location.

In 1934 the Mecca Café, along with six other beer parlors in Seattle, had its liquor license revoked by the State as part of a state-wide clean-up effort based on complaints received (such as beer being sold after hours or to minors). Other businesses only had their licenses suspended for thirty days. This was the most dramatic enforcement effort by the state since the state took over the regulation of liquor sales and distribution.

References:

‘Rum Board’s Action is Forerunner of Clean-up.’ Seattle Daily Times, July 28, 1934: 1.

City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.

Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, ed., Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Guide to the Architects (Seattle, University of Washington Press: 2014), 2nd edition.

King County Property Record Card (c. 1938–1972), Washington State Archives.

Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890–1996.

Seattle Daily Times, July 18, 1934: 12.

Constructed in 1930, this one story one-part block form commercial building features a rectangular plan and originally three storefront bays. The building stands on the east side of Queen Anne Avenue N. The east side abuts an alley. A parking lot abuts the south side. The north wall of the building is a shared party wall with 526 Queen Anne Avenue N.

A flat roof with parapets shelters interior spaces. Rolled roofing clads the roof. Three skylights extended along the mid portion of the building in a north to south line but have been covered over. Sheet metal flashing caps the parapet. The south parapet of the original building steps down from west to east, with both rear additions having parapets that run at a single level. The front parapet features raised corners that step down and then a series of steps ascending to a center peak over the front entrance.

A concrete foundation supports the building’s hollow clay tile structure. Clay tiles are laid up with alternating bonding and face bedded courses with a rowlock course along the top of the parapet. Cement parging clads the south wall of the original building. Common bond brick with headers every sixth course and a raked finish comprises the front facade above the storefronts. A soldier course border extends along the top of the storefront header and the parapet. A reinforced concrete beam spans the storefronts.

Alterations include two rear additions, with the most recent consisting of concrete masonry units. The storefront has been completely reconfigured with a recessed aluminum sash door and side lites and similar display windows with cement board bulkheads. An added back lit sign projects off the front of the facade at the parapet level. Previous work removed the original six-foot-wide marquee on the front facade. Work in 1938 (permit 328086) changed the entrance doors. Eba’s Mutual Grocery, Incorporated added the first rear addition in 1936 to provide cold storage and a bakery window in the northwest corner of the building. Undated changes made by contractor G. J. Marlowe to the building interior. In 1947, architect Charles A. Lawrence designed the concrete masonry unit storage room addition to the building for Carl S. Baker. Tom Burkheimer and engineer Darrold E. Bolton designed changes for the building, while it was known as the Circle Shop. In 1993 the building was converted for use as a Blockbuster Video, and the hollow clay tile reinforced, storefronts reconfigured to their current form, and the front signage added. Previous alterations had closed off two of the original entrances and left only a single entrance at the north end of the building.