Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 303 Harvard AVE / Parcel ID 6003502191 / Inv #

Historic Name: Beverly Rae Apartments Common Name: Beverly Rae Apartments Style: Modern Neighborhood: Capitol Hill Built By: Year Built: 1949   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. This Modernist building was designed in 1949 by the architects Stuart & Durham for the Beverly Rae Corporation (permit #396427). It is one of the earlier examples of the apartment buildings constructed to meet Seattle's severe post-war housing shortage. Construction of permanent family housing had slowed during the war years, and returning servicemen were eager to have their own homes and start families. Many who had visited the Pacific Northwest while in the military came here permanently. Material shortages and labor unrest, as well as the Korean War, delayed the housing boom, which got underway in the 1950s. Although the country's extensive suburban development is the best known housing development of the period, multifamily units were built in cities, often using federal funds for financing guarantees. This one was financed by the Federal Housing Authority's Section 608 mortgage insurance program. It has 10 one-bedroom apartments and two 2-bedrooms, averaging 737 square feet. This is a project of one of Seattle's most prominent apartment designers of the 1920s, B. Dudley Stuart, and an early Modernist architect, Robert L. Durham. Stuart and his first partner (1925-1939), Arthur Wheatley, were responsible for several of the most prominent apartment buildings of this era, including the Bergonian (now the Mayflower Hotel), Exeter House, Marlborough Apartments and Biltmore Apartments. Their practice also included residences and a number of fraternity and sorority houses. Stuart (1885-1977) was born in London and came to Seattle from Vancouver in 1918. Robert L. Durham, a Seattle native, received his degree in architecture from the University of Washington in 1936 and began work as a draftsman for B. Dudley Stuart. After a period of work as a cost engineer for the Federal Housing Authority, he re-joined Stuart in the partnership Stuart & Durham, doing wartime housing and commercial structures. After Stuart's retirement in 1954, the partnership was reorganized as Durham, Anderson & Freed, taking on major projects such as schools, banks, churches and buildings for the University of Washington and Evergreen State College. Their work included at least one other multifamily project, the Horizon House Retirement Home (1971). They also did master plans for Evergreen State College and U.S. Naval Base Bangor. Durham was an active an honored AIA member, serving a term as national president and receiving the AIA Kemper Award and AIA Seattle Medal..   Appearance The Beverly Rae has the distinctly simple lines, lack of ornament and large metal sash windows characteristic of the Modern style. It is three stories, of masonry construction faced with red brick. Its plan is generally rectangular, with the north half of the main façade projecting approximately four feet from the south half. The simple grade-level entry is placed at an angle at the point where these two elements meet. It is sheltered by a flat roof supported by simple metal posts. The north half has three bands of large metal sash windows, with pressed metal spandrels between them Windows elsewhere are large multipaned metal casement sash. At the rear is a detached garage structure.

Detail for 303 Harvard AVE / Parcel ID 6003502191 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Brick Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Unknown Building Type: Domestic - Multiple Family Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Brick No. of Stories: three Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture Integrity Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Intact Major Bibliographic References Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, ed. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994. King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972. City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.

Photo collection for 303 Harvard AVE / Parcel ID 6003502191 / Inv #

Photo taken Apr 27, 2006