| Historic Name: |
Vance Hotel |
Common Name: |
Hotel Max, formerly Vance Hotel (until recently) |
| Style: |
Beaux Arts - Neoclassical, Commercial - Chicago School |
Neighborhood: |
Denny Triangle |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1926 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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This ten story hotel building, set on the northwest corner of 7th Avenue and Stewart Street, is mainly clad in buff brick and terra cotta and has flat roof and parapet. On top of the roof is an exposed metal structure, which historically supported a large sign for the Vance Hotel. The letters of the Vance Hotel sign have recently been replaced by those for the Hotel Max. The building’s original structure is mainly of concrete, and includes square, concrete, engaged piers on the inside of the main elevations along Stewart Street and 7th Avenue (steel interior structure has since been added). The building footprint is 120 feet by 53 feet and there is also a concrete basement.
The main façade is the longer elevation along Stewart Street. Turning the corner, a secondary elevation faces the street along 7th Avenue and has only one storefront bay. Both these elevations, clad in buff brick, include terra cotta cladding at the ground floor storefront level and at the cornice parapet level. The first floor level has a high ceiling. On the exterior of the building, this translates into a storefront level, topped by a clerestory. The cladding and delicate ornamentation of the building, particularly along Stewart Street are particularly striking, while the organization of the bays of this main façade is less regular.
Along the Stewart Street, the first floor concrete piers, clad in light cream-colored terra cotta on the exterior, have ornamental capitals with acanthus leaves. Corner piers are topped by a slightly projecting echinus, decorated with an egg and dart band. Intermediary piers are designed with an intermediary capital, set at the level of the storefront, below a clerestory level. Below these capitals, the terra cotta shafts are fluted. Another original and distinguishing feature is the series of small wooden arches at the clerestory level above the entrance and in the bays to each side of the entrance bay. The small arches over the entrance and the bay to the east feature stained glass and appear to be original. Originally, the clerestories of the other bays featured plate glass; but in a recent remodel, the small arches were replicated for the entire clerestory level. The clerestory level is topped by more terra cotta cladding, which includes occasional circular medallions, above which is projecting belt-course. There is a similar belt-course above the second floor. Emphasizing the present entrance bay, the terra cotta cladding becomes part of an ornamental surround for the two pairs of windows directly above the entrance bay, at the second and third floors. The terra cotta cladding even fills the narrow expanse between the two pairs of windows on the fourth floor, ending in a circular medallion, with a large “V” within it. There is a thin belt-course, which includes terra cotta roll molding, above the eighth floor. The terra cotta cladding resumes again above top floor. There is a frieze consisting mainly of a Greek key band, interrupted by floral motifs. Above this, is a continuous dentil band, topped by a projecting classical cornice. A low, terra cotta clad parapet rises above the cornice, completing the façade.
In general, above the ground floor level on Stewart Street, windows are often set in pairs of double hung windows, although there are also single double-hung windows. The 7th Avenue, east elevation has similar terra cotta and brick detailing at the corner storefront level and throughout the façade. Above the ground level, the composition and the placement of windows is symmetrical: the outer bay of windows consists of paired double-hung windows, flanking five bays of single double-hung windows at each floor. The west elevation, which mainly faces an alley, features one bay, clad in brick and terra cotta, with detailing similar to the main façade. The rest of the elevation is unclad concrete, with simple utilitarian openings and a fire escape.
Original drawings suggest that the present main entrance was, in fact, a storefront with fixed, plate glass. A main revolving door in the bay to the north would have lead to the grand main lobby, while the entry in the south bay lead to a coffee shop. Other less important entries along Stewart were entrances to individual stores. The storefronts have been altered somewhat since 1926, even prior to the 2005 remodel. In 1949, the architecture firm of Richard Lytel and Associates reconfigured the corner storefronts on both Stewart Street and 7th Avenue: the plate glass clerestories were replaced or covered with a ceramic veneer and included a vent. Each storefront was reconfigured, as well. The Stewart Street storefront gained a vertical light and oak door to the south and the rest of the bay was filled with a ribbon of three windows, set above a maroon vitrolite band, below which was a deep Wilkeson sandstone base. The 7th Avenue storefront had a similar design, but without the door.
The actual storefronts were again recently rebuilt during a 2005 remodel. It was at this time, that the replicated small wood arches were added at the clerestory level, where previously there had been simpler glazing or ceramic veneer. Given some of the major changes that occurred in 1949, the present redesign of the clerestories, may, in fact, be closer to the original than the changes made according to the 1949 drawings. On the other hand, the boxed in windows of the main storefronts are clearly new, although they do not mar the overall appearance of the building. Aside from these changes to the exterior of the main facades, the cladding, both brick and terra cotta and the fenestration above the ground floor level, are intact.
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| Appearance |
| This ten story hotel building, set on the southwest corner of 7th Avenue and Stewart Street, is mainly clad in buff brick and terra cotta and has flat roof and parapet. On top of the roof is an exposed metal structure, which historically supported a large sign for the Vance Hotel. The letters of the Vance Hotel sign have recently been replaced by those for the Hotel Max. The building’s original structure is mainly of concrete, and includes square, concrete, engaged piers on the inside of the main elevations along Stewart Street and 7th Avenue (steel interior structure has since been added). The building footprint is 120 feet by 53 feet and there is also a concrete basement.
The main façade is the longer elevation along Stewart Street. Turning the corner, a secondary elevation faces the street along 7th Avenue and has only one storefront bay. Both these elevations, clad in buff brick, include terra cotta cladding at the ground floor storefront level and at the cornice parapet level. The first floor level has a high ceiling. On the exterior of the building, this translates into a storefront level, topped by a clerestory. The cladding and delicate ornamentation of the building, particularly along Stewart Street are particularly striking, while the organization of the bays of this main façade is less regular.
Along the Stewart Street, the first floor concrete piers, clad in light cream-colored terra cotta on the exterior, have ornamental capitals with acanthus leaves. Corner piers are topped by a slightly projecting echinus, decorated with an egg and dart band. Intermediary piers are designed with an intermediary capital, set at the level of the storefront, below a clerestory level. Below these capitals, the terra cotta shafts are fluted.
Another original and distinguishing feature is the series of small wooden arches at the clerestory level above the entrance and in the bays to each side of the entrance bay. The small arches over the entrance and the bay to the east feature stained glass and appear to be original, while the west bay clerestory had leaded, but clear glass. Originally, the clerestories of the other bays featured plate glass; but in a recent remodel, the small arches were replicated for the entire clerestory level. The clerestory level is topped by more terra cotta cladding, which includes occasional circular medallions, above which is projecting belt-course. There is a similar belt-course above the second floor.
Emphasizing the present entrance bay, the terra cotta cladding becomes part of an ornamental surround for the two pairs of windows directly above the entrance bay, at the second and third floors. The terra cotta cladding even fills the narrow expanse between the two pairs of windows on the fourth floor, ending in a circular medallion, with a large “V” within it. There is a thin belt-course, which includes terra cotta roll molding, above the eighth floor. The terra cotta cladding resumes again above top floor. There is a frieze consisting mainly of a Greek key band, interrupted by floral motifs. Above this, is a continuous dentil band, topped by a projecting classical cornice. A low, terra cotta clad parapet rises above the cornice, completing the façade.
In general, above the ground floor level on Stewart Street, windows are often set in pairs of double hung windows, although there are also single double-hung windows. The 7th Avenue, east elevation has similar terra cotta and brick detailing at the corner storefront level and throughout the façade. Above the ground level, the composition and the placement of windows is symmetrical: the outer bay of windows consists of paired double-hung windows, flanking five bays of single double-hung windows at each floor. The west elevation, which mainly faces an alley, features one bay, clad in brick and terra cotta, with detailing similar to the main façade. The rest of the elevation is unclad concrete, with simple utilitarian openings and a fire escape.
Original drawings suggest that the present main entrance was, in fact, a storefront with fixed, plate glass. A main revolving door in the bay to the east would have lead to the grand main lobby, while the entry in the west bay lead to a coffee shop. Other less important entries along Stewart were entrances to individual stores. The storefronts have been altered somewhat since 1926, even prior to the 2005 remodel. In 1949, the architecture firm of Richard Lytel and Associates reconfigured the corner storefronts on both Stewart Street and 7th Avenue: the plate glass clerestories were replaced or covered with a ceramic veneer and included a vent. Each storefront was reconfigured, as well. The Stewart Street storefront gained a vertical light and oak door to the south and the rest of the bay was filled with a ribbon of three windows, set above a maroon vitrolite band, below which was a deep Wilkeson sandstone base. The 7th Avenue storefront had a similar design, but without the door.
The actual storefronts were again recently rebuilt during a 2005 remodel. It was at this time, that the replicated small wood arches were added at the clerestory level, where previously there had been simpler glazing or ceramic veneer. Given some of the major changes that occurred in 1949, the present redesign of the clerestories, may, in fact, be closer to the original than the changes made according to the 1949 drawings. On the other hand, the “boxed in” windows of the main storefronts are clearly new, although they do not mar the overall appearance of the building. Aside from these changes to the storefronts, the cladding, both terra cotta and brick, the ornament and the fenestration above the ground floor level, all of which constitute the greater part of the building exterior, appear to be intact. |
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