Historic Name: |
Wembley Court |
Common Name: |
Wembley Court |
Style: |
Tudor - Cottage |
Neighborhood: |
Eastlake |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1924 |
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Significance |
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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Wembley Court is a good example of the small apartment court that was popular in many Seattle neighborhoods in the 1920s, Its six units are large ones, averaging 937 square feet, with amenities such as fireplaces, built-in refrigerators and tile kitchens and baths. It was designed in 1924 by architect Howard Riley, who also designed a number of other bungalow courts in the area. It is unusual for its V-shaped plan to fit onto its corner site.
This is one of the numerous bungalow courts in the Eastlake neighborhood. Despite its small size, Eastlake has a wide variety of land uses, including industry, maritime industry, marinas, large institutions, a dense commercial strip and single family homes. Its key location between Lake Union and Capitol Hill has long made it an important north/south route connecting downtown with the University of Washington and other neighborhoods. Streetcars began running here as early as 1885, making it a logical location for apartment living. The numerous older apartment buildings are typically small in scale to fit in with the single family homes. It is now being transformed with much larger mixed use buildings.
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Appearance |
This small apartment court has a V-shaped plan to fit onto its corner lot. The courtyard is used for parking, but also has small landscaped courts near the building; these are enclosed with brick and wrought iron fences. The front is also heavily landscaped with small trees and shrubs. The building is clad primarily with "used" painted brick, with stucco in the gable ends. The roofline is complex, being basically a gabled roof, but with gabled bays between units and gabled dormers above some of the entries. Some units have partial second stories with a pair of casement windows set into the roofline above the entry. Brick chimneys rise at the ends of the building and between each unit. |
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