| Historic Name: |
Unknown |
Common Name: |
1114-1124 Republican St |
| Style: |
Vernacular |
Neighborhood: |
South Lake Union |
| Built By: |
|
Year Built: |
1900 |
| |
| Significance |
|
In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
|
|
Notes: Porch posts replaced. Some double hung windows replaced in original surrounds (Greg Lange - March 18, 2003 - concerning 1118 Republican Street)
This grouping of buildings consists of four separate, wood frame structures, clad in wood siding and all built in the 1900s. 1124 Republican Street is located on the northwest corner of Faiview Avenue North and Republican Street. To the west of this corner building are 1118 Republican St, 1116 Republican Street and 1114 Republican Street. All of the buildings look like large houses and have pitched roofs, either gabled or hipped, except for 1114 Republican Street, which has a flat roof with parapet. 1124 and 1118 Republican Street are clearly multi-family buildings. The other two may give the impression of being single family dwellings, particularly from Republican Street, but also function as multi-family housing.
The main facades of the houses are set along Republican Street, although 1124 Republican Street also has an elevation along Fairview Avenue North. While all of the buildings present one, two or three floors above the grade (sometimes including an attic level) along Republican Street, because of a change in grade in relation to the paved streets, the side and back elevations are considerably deeper. There are alleys, paths and small garden areas between the buildings at the lower grade, which can be accessed between the buildings from straight run stairs off of Republican Street.
1124 Republican Street, corner of Fairview Ave North and Republican St
1124 Republican Street, seemingly the largest of the buildings, has an irregular plan and presents two-stories, and an attic level along Republican Street. The main roof is a cross-gable roof, with a front gable along Republican Street. There are also subsidiary roofs over various spaces, not covered by the main roof. Along Republican Street, the entry to a street level unit, accessed by steps, on the west side of the main façade, is sheltered by a partial hip roof, set in the angle between the space covered by the gable facing Republican street and the gabled space perpendicular to it. Also of note is the short Tuscan column, set at the corner of this lower porch.
The building is clad mainly in horizontal wood siding of several kinds, but also includes, often around the lower part of the attic level, a combination of fishscale and diamond wood shingles. In the case of Republican Street façade, this more ornate siding is partially hidden under more conventional horizontal boards. Also of note are the prominent eave returns of the main gable forms. Each return has a small hipped area, also covered with shingles.
The placing of windows involves pairs of double hung windows, beginning at the attic levels of the main roof forms, with one central pair of windows. Along the main, Republican Street façade, first and second levels each have two well-spaced pairs of double hung windows.
As is the case with all these buildings, the side, west elevation and the back, north elevation include lower stories, in this case, one story. The lower level is accessed from Republican Street by a straight run stair between this house and 1118 Republican Street to the west. The stair leads to the alley between these houses and a north alley, with subsidiary spaces and doorways at that level and up wooden stairs at upper levels. Based on a photo dating from 1936, it seems as though the second story west wing was probably added at a later date and the overall appearance along Republican St was less symmetrical. The new exterior, open stair along Republican Street and the covering over of some ornamental siding, (recoverable) also date from after 1936. Despite these changes, the building, which is currently painted brown, has kept the essential elements of its general appearance and detailing.
1118 Republican St
1118 Republican St is located west of 1124 Republican Street and at first sight, from Republican Street, appears as a single family residence. Its basic plan is an L-shape and its roof consists of intersecting hipped roofs. Aside from the intersecting hipped shape of the main roof, a distinguishing characteristic are the frequently repeated ornamental wood brackets, which occur consistently under the overhang of the main roof. The brackets themselves are incised to each side with an S-shape, which further emphasizes their shape. The exterior walls cladding is horizontal wood siding and mainly drop siding on the elevations most visible from the street.
Along Republican Street, the main façade is one story above grade and accessed by low steps and presents a hipped roof. There is a porch on the east side of the façade, covered by a partial hipped roof, currently supported by replacement wood posts, which are unpainted (as noted in the 2003 entry by Greg Lange). To the west of the porch is a pair of double hung windows, with original wood surrounds. On the alleys to the west and east, the grade is much lower and there are another two floors below the ground floor accessed on Republican Street on the west side, and one extra floor below on the east side.
Aside from the replacement wood posts that support the porch and the replacement of hardware in a small window opening in the recessed wing, the building, particularly on Republican Street, has retained its original detailing.
1116 Republican Street
1116 Republican Street, located more or less mid-block and between 1118 Republican Street and 1114 Republican Street, has a rectangular plan. It has a main gable roof, with a front gable facing south along Republican Street and symmetrically placed shed dormers to the east and west. The Republican Street façade presents one story with an attic level. Like 1118 Republican Street, it has a partial hipped roof over a porch, located on the east side of the main Republican Street façade. The porch, which is accessed from Republican Street by low steps, has original turned wood supports. The fascia under the overhanging roof has simple horizontal decorative molding at it center. To the west of the porch is a single double hung window. The attic level has one single double-hung window. Siding at the attic level consists of wider horizontal wood boards, while below, it is drop-siding. On the west and east elevations, a basement level, (only partially visible on the east elevation), and another floor below, are visible along the alley between this building and its neighbors.
In general, the exterior includes more finished wood and rougher details, sometimes due to weathering, but the overall impression has retained the most important elements of the original building. The house is currently painted brown.
1114 Republican Street
This is a three story building with an additional basement level, below the Republican St grade. It has a rectangular plan, with a flat roof and parapet. There is also a classically detailed marquee attached to the Republican Street façade, which also turns the corner and continues briefly along the west and east elevations. The main Republican Street façade is symmetrically composed with a central doorway at the entry level, topped by two single windows. To each side of the central bay are pairs of window openings at all three levels. Of note, is a marquee above the central doorway, partially held up, (or at least meant to be held up), by chains attached to the wall behind it. The wall is clad in very weathered cedar siding, currently painted light green.
According to a note on the Tax Assessor records, the building was first remodeled in 1920.While we do not know what the original siding was, by the 1930s, the cladding was stucco. The building was resided in 1944 with cedar siding, with window surrounds also covered over by simpler boards. The awning, which now has a very slightly pitched roof over it, is original, but has lost a more detailed ornamental band which skirted it. The chains are probably original or at least date from the late 1920s or 1930s, since a photo dating from that period shows them. The building retains its general shape and window openings from its earlier design. (Karin Link, South Lake Union Neighborhood Survey and Inventory, August 2005)
|
|
| |
| Appearance |
| According to Tax Assessor Record cards, the four buildings all date from the 1900s, with 1118 and 1116 dating more specifically from 1900, while 1114 dates from 1905. The four buildings constitute a group of early multi-family house forms from the 1900s, a period which is no longer represented anywhere else in this much detail in the South Lake Union area; although the buildings do continue a line of early extant houses from the 1900s, which starts east in the Cascade neighborhood along the same side of Republican Street. Despite some changes to their exterior, the buildings retain the essential characteristics of their early design, while most subsequent changes were made more than forty years ago.
Oral history, including the testimony of the present building manager (Francisca Garcia), who learned of the history of the buildings from an earlier owner (Lonnie Muzzy), gives some insight concerning their possible background. According to this oral history, the buildings were brought to their present site as a result of the Denny Regrade. Baist and Kroll Maps from 1908 to 1928 show that, in fact, 1124 and 1118 Republican Street were probably already on site by 1908, while the other two buildings only appear on a Kroll Map of 1928. Other indications on the record cards suggest that buildings may very possibly have been moved during a period between 1925 and 1929, which would fit with the 1928 Kroll map. The present grade of the main sidewalks is supposed to have been built up after all the buildings were sited at their present location, which fits with the history of grading efforts in the area. All of the buildings appear to have gained lower floors, most likely during the late 1920s. Another story even suggests that 1124 Republican Street was supposed to have been moved to its present site from 318 Fairview Ave. N., the Bricklayers’ International Union Local L (Cascade neighborhood), and set on top of a lower platform, which became the basement/ lower level, although that would suggest that the Baist Map of 1908 is showing a different building.
It is fairly certain that by the late 1920s or early 1930s, the buildings housed many people, who were associated with the Troy Laundry, which was built nearby, along Fairview Avenue, in 1927. For instance, the previous owner of all the buildings, (Lonnie Muzzy the father of the present owner), worked as a truck driver for the Troy Laundry; in addition, about twenty years ago, the husband of the present building manager, Francisca Garcia, also worked there.
According to the same sources, 1114 Republican Street was converted to a secret munitions warehouse during World War II. A large opening, accessible to the railroad line, was created at the back of the building along with a ramp, for easy delivery of munitions. The ramp and opening are still part of the building. This may tie in with the fact that, also during World War II, in the nearby Cascade neighborhood, along Yale Avenue, a portion of 1275 Mercer St, then the official headquarters of the Kenworth Motor Truck Corporation, was used in the production of parts for B-17 and B-29 bombers. (Karin Link - South Lake Union Survey - 2005) |
|
|
