Historic Name: |
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Common Name: |
Asa Mercer Junior High School |
Style: |
Modern |
Neighborhood: |
Beacon Hill |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1957 |
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Significance |
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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Built in 1957, this building was owned by the Seattle School District No. The building functioned as the Asa Mercer Junior High School through 1968.
John W. Maloney (1897-1978) was born in Sacramento, California, and attended Stanford University and the University of Washington. He established an architectural practice in Yakima in 1922 and is responsible for the Larson Building, a Yakima landmark. Maloney opened an office in Seattle in the Central Building in 1943, and retired as a partner of Maloney, Herrington, Freesz and Lund in 1970. During his career, Maloney was responsible for many institutional buildings throughout Washington and the western United States. In Seattle, he designed a series of churches, including St. Benedict’s, St. Edward’s, Holy Family, Sacred Heart and St. Anne’s. He also designed the St. Thomas Seminary and the Carmelite Monastery. His school buildings include Blanchet High School, Rainier Beach High School and the Asa Mercer Middle School. He designed the Lemieux Library and the Archbishop Connolly Center on the campus of Seattle University, as well as buildings at Gonzaga, Washington State University and Central Washington University. He is buried in the Holyrood Mausoleum, which he also designed.
Asa Mercer Junior High School opened in the fall of 1957. It was designed by Yakima and Seattle based architect, John W. Maloney. The land for the school was a part of the Jefferson Park tract and was owned by the city of Seattle until 1949, when it was deeded to the Veterans Administration for a hospital. In 1954, a part of that land was returned to the city for construction of a school. Additional acreage was deeded from the Seattle Parks Department and some of the holes on the Jefferson Park Golf Course had to be relocated. The building was intended to consolidate the education of 7th, 8th and 9th graders from south end schools and housed 1093 students the year it opened. Despite research and projection of population needs, the school was already too small when it opened, and portables had to be added in following years to contain the growing student population.
Beacon Hill is a long north-south tending ridge located southeast of downtown Seattle and stands 350 feet at its highest point. The hill’s steep topography deterred substantial Euro-American settlement through the early 1880s. Then, development of the area was stimulated by the introduction of streetcar lines in the 1890s, its proximity to Seattle’s main industrial area to the west, and the regrading of the hill’s north end in the early 1900s.
Originally acquired by the City in 1898, Jefferson Park was integrated into Seattle’s Olmsted system of parks, and the Olmsted Brothers prepared a plan for the park in 1912. The first public golf course west of the Mississippi opened at Jefferson Park in 1915. Jefferson Park has exerted a profound positive influence on the development of the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Because of its proximity to the International District, Japanese and Chinese families moved to Beacon Hill starting in the 1920s. World War I and II stimulated a surge in housing development associated with wartime industry. The construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s and Interstate 90 in the 1980s sliced through the neighborhoods and contributed to Beacon Hill’s relative isolation. Today, Beacon Hill is an ethnically diverse working class community, which has a mixed Asian, Chicano, African American, and Caucasian population.
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Appearance |
Built in 1957, these Modern style school buildings stand on an irregular lot. The buildings are oriented to South Columbian Way on a sloped site below street level. The total area amounts to 119,233 square feet with rectangular plans. A poured concrete foundation supports the wood frame, brick clad superstructures. Varied rooflines shelter the buildings including barrel vaults over several volumes. Multiple-pane windows provide day lighting. A brick chimney services the structures. The school was previously known as the Jefferson Park Junior High School. Today the School is known as the Asa Mercer Middle School. |
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Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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Cladding(s): |
Brick, Concrete |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
Roof Type(s): |
Barrel Vault |
Roof Material(s): |
Other |
Building Type: |
Education - School |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
one |
Unit Theme(s): |
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Integrity |
Changes to Windows: |
Slight |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Slight |
Changes to Plan: |
Slight |
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Major Bibliographic References |
City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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City of Seattle. Survey of City-Owned Historic Resources. Prepared by Cathy Wickwire, Seattle, 2001. Forms for Ravenna Park structures.
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Tobin, Caroline. (2004) "Beacon Hill Historic Context Statement."
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Thompson, Nile and Marr, Carolyn J. Building for Learning, Seattle Public School Histories, 1862-2000. Seattle School District No. 1, 2002.
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Washington State University Archives #239, University Architect Records, 1923-56.
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Seattle Times, Obituary, 1/26/1978.
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Photo taken Mar 12, 2004

Photo taken Mar 12, 2004

Photo taken Mar 12, 2004

Photo taken Mar 12, 2004

Photo taken Mar 12, 2004

Photo taken Mar 12, 2004

Photo taken Dec 17, 2003

Photo taken Dec 17, 2003
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