Historic Name: |
Wayne Apartments |
Common Name: |
Noodle Ranch/Lava Lounge |
Style: |
Queen Anne, Vernacular |
Neighborhood: |
Belltown |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1890 |
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Significance |
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Although very altered, this unusual building is notable because it is believed to be the last remnant of Belltown housing built before the regrading of Denny Hill. It has been termed “a melding of the vanished Victorian residential character of Denny Hill with the commercialism that both replaced it and caused its demise.” The residential structure was most likely built between 1889 and 1891 by Lewis Rowe, one the first grocers in Seattle. Called the Wayne Apartments, it was originally sited above the hilly dirt road that was Second Avenue. In 1903, the effort to sluice away Denny Hill came to this street, just missing the Wayne. By 1911, Second Avenue was much as it is today, and new owners Mr. and Mrs. Charles Schneider hired architect Charles Haynes to design a retail storefront, raising the old building to make room for the new. (“Preserving Pre-Regrade Belltown,” Reuben McKnight, in Preservation Seattle, May 2004., at http:www.historicseattle.org/preservationseattle/techniques/defaultmay3.htm).
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Appearance |
On the three storefronts, marblecrete and ceramic tile cover the original brick cladding; the display windows have also been replaced, and their original multilight transoms covered or removed. The older residential section of the buidling is more recognizable. It retains its original form with three gabled hanging bays. Windows are one-over-one double-hung wood sash with wood surrounds, with a pair in each bay and a single window between. The single windows were once topped by small gables, which have been removed. The orginal clapboard cladding has been covered with asbestos siding. |
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