Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 5000 Rainier AVE / Parcel ID 5649600125 / Inv #

Historic Name: City Sash and Door Company Common Name: The Royal Esquire Club Style: Vernacular Neighborhood: Columbia City Built By: Year Built: 1921   Significance The one story frame commercial building was constructed in 1910 at a cost of $1000. The property owner was the George S. Dudley and Sons Company, a family business that ran a fuel yard farther south at 5244 Rainier Avenue S. The subject building was probably an investment property. The builder listed on the permit was Theodore D. Weed. Theodore D. Weed was a resident of Columbia City, beginning circa 1905, when he was listed in city directories as a building contractor and carpenter. He is credited as the builder of two buildings in the Columbia City business district, including this one. Weed owned and operated the City Sash and Door Company, from 1910 through the late 1920s. His store was located at 5000 Rainier Avenue South. Weed resided in Columbia City, at 3839 S. Edmunds. Weed was the owner of the building at 4906-08 Rainier Avenue S. when it was remodeled in 1929 and renamed the Weed Building. During the 1920s and 1930s Weed owned four commercial buildings in the 4900 and 5000 blocks of Rainier Avenue S. In 1922, under Weed’s supervision, a brick veneer was added to the storefront of the subject building. The building was extensively altered in 1956 while it was still in the ownership of Weed’s widow, Myrtle E. Weed. It was a furniture store at that time. The subject building does not retain its architectural integrity, but has historic significance as a part of the commercial corridor constructed along Rainier Avenue at the turn of the twentieth century, when Columbia City was a far flung suburb of Seattle. The building is significant for its association with local builder and businessman Theodore D. Weed, who had his sash and door business in the building from 1910 through the 1920s. The building has been owned and occupied since 1985 by the Royal Esquire Club, a private, not-for-profit social club for African American members founded in 1948.   Appearance This relatively intact single story commercial building is of masonry and frame construction and is supported by a concrete foundation. The building has an irregular plan and a flat roof with a parapet. The building is clad in horizontal wood siding, brick and brick veneer. The front elevation consists of nine bays separated by brick piers that extend to the parapet. Each bay consists of a pair of large windows with transom windows above. Several of the bays contain a central door flanked by windows, with transom windows above. The storefront configuration has change several times over the years. The building was remodeled in 1922 and was remodeled again sometime after 1938.

Detail for 5000 Rainier AVE / Parcel ID 5649600125 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: LR Cladding(s): Brick, Wood - Clapboard Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Business Plan: Irregular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Social Movements & Organizations Integrity Changes to Plan: Intact Storefront: Slight Changes to Windows: Slight Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Major Bibliographic References City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records. King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives. Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996. Centennial History, Columbia City, Rainier Valley, 1853-1991, Pioneers of Columbia City. Seattle, Washington, 1992.

Photo collection for 5000 Rainier AVE / Parcel ID 5649600125 / Inv #

Photo taken Mar 22, 2004