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Summary for 1403 W Howe ST W / Parcel ID 2425039137 / Inv # DPR015

Historic Name: Telephone Company Garage Common Name: Central West District Headquarters
Style: Other - Industrial Neighborhood: Ballard Interbay Manufacturing Industrial Center
Built By: Year Built: 1951
 
Significance
Benjamin Levinson, a plywood and door dealer, constructed this nondescript utilitarian structure in 1951 as a garage. It is not known at this time whether the garage was used for the operation of his business, Benjamin Levinson & Company, which had offices in downtown Seattle. By the later 1950s, the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company used the building as a garage for its vehicles. The company later became known as Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company and then as US West Communications. In 1967, Pacific Northwest Bell built a substantial addition on the south end of the building, which was designed by the architecture firm of Gary L. Shavey and Richard D. Schmidt. The telephone company occupied the building into the later 1980s. The City of Seattle acquired the building in the early 1990s and renovated it for use by the Department of Parks and Recreation as a grounds maintenance shop for the Central West District. The building is significant for its association with the development of the largely commercial and industrial Interbay neighborhood. Gary L. Shavey and Richard D. Schmidt, Architects (1967 Addition).
 
Appearance
Completed in two phases between 1951 and 1967, this one-story utilitarian building occupies a site on West Howe Street at 14th Avenue West at the base of the western slope of Queen Anne Hill. A small fenced area occupies the northeast corner of the site. A larger fenced area lines the western margin of the site as well as the southern end. Completed in 1951, the original building had a rectangular plan garage block, which measured 60 feet by 130 feet, with a lower rectangular plan office wing along the east elevation, which measured 20 feet by 47 feet. In 1967, additions were constructed along the rear south elevations of both the main block and the adjacent wing. These additions increased the length of the main block to 200 feet and the length of the wing to 108 feet. The flat and barrel roof structure has a stuccoed exterior of exposed aggregate. On the principal north elevation of the main block, a large center opening contains the original overhead wood door. A tall single entrance door adjoins this opening to the east. The west elevation of the main block presents a mostly blank wall with the exception of two vertical window openings with modern aluminum sash and an entrance door south of center. The windows appear to be installed in larger openings now slightly infilled. The south elevation has another large overhead door opening at the center. The east elevation of the adjoining wing has a single entrance door and a small window opening at the northern end. Large window openings line the remaining portion of the elevation. This modest building retains good physical integrity despite the apparent window alterations.

Detail for 1403 W Howe ST W / Parcel ID 2425039137 / Inv # DPR015

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Stucco Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Barrel Vault, Flat Roof Material(s): Other, Unknown
Building Type: Transportation - Road- Related Plan: L-Shape
Structural System: Unknown No. of Stories: one
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Transportation
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Windows: Moderate
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.

Photo collection for 1403 W Howe ST W / Parcel ID 2425039137 / Inv # DPR015


Photo taken Nov 12, 2000
App v2.0.1.0