Historic Name: |
Hewitt's Café |
Common Name: |
Two Bells |
Style: |
Spanish - Eclectic |
Neighborhood: |
Belltown |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1923 |
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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. |
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This small café building is a fine example of innovative 1920s ornamentation, and is one of the most intact small downtown buildings. It is one of several Belltown buildings designed by George Wellington Stoddard of Stoddard & Son. Stoddard (1896-1967) entered into partnership with his father, Lewis M. Stoddard, following his graduation from the University of Illinois. Following his father’s death in 1929, he practiced alone until 1955, and then practiced in partnership with Francis Huggard. He designed larger homes, as well as apartment buildings, clinics, banks and other commercial structures. His best known works are Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center (1947) and the Green Lake Aqua Theater (1950). After the death of his father in 1929, George Wellington Stoddard continued to practice until 1955, completing such well-known works as the Green Lake Aqua Theater, Memorial Stadium and numerous homes, apartments and commercial buildings.
The building has always contained a café or tavern, along with other small stores. The current tenant has been there for many years, and has expanded to the center storefront. An Italian language school occupies the remaining space. The building has a U-shaped plan, with two wings at the rear that originally contained fourteen garage stalls. In 1953 Hewitt’s Café converted the rear to a banquet room.
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Appearance |
The one-story building is of masonry construction clad with stucco. Its distinctive ornamental features are the three arched storefront entries, edged by decorative brick and topped by a gabled parapet, each with a shield medallion. Red brick in a decorative pattern is also found in the bulkhead beneath the windows, the trim around the display windows and along the parapet. The large display windows appear to be original. |
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Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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Cladding(s): |
Brick, Stucco |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
Roof Type(s): |
Flat with Parapet |
Roof Material(s): |
Unknown |
Building Type: |
Commercial/Trade - Restaurant |
Plan: |
U-Shape |
Structural System: |
Brick |
No. of Stories: |
one |
Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce |
Integrity |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
Changes to Plan: |
Slight |
Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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Major Bibliographic References |
Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, ed. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
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King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.
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