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Summary for 1019 Terry AVE / Parcel ID 197920-0250 / Inv #

Historic Name: John Alden Apartments Common Name: John Alden Apartments
Style: Colonial - Georgian Revival Neighborhood: First Hill
Built By: Year Built: 1924
 
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.
In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local).
The John Alden is an early example of the work of builder John S. Hudson and his Colonial Investment Company, who named his buildings after the heroes of New England history and literature—The John Alden, Paul Revere, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and James Russell Lowell. His contracting firm was the The architect was his brother Harry Hudson. This building is notable for its brick detailing and art glass at the entry, depicting the Mayflower. First Hill was a popular location for apartment building from early in the 20th century, and in the 1920s construction boom, even more buildings were constructed. The city's population had increased dramatically in previous decades, and prosperity encouraged developers to meet the pent-up demand for housing. Apartments, ranging from basic housing to luxury units, were a significant factor in meeting this need. By the early 1920s, First Hill was well on its way to being transformed from a premiere residential area of mansions to a neighborhood of apartments and institutions. The John Alden sits between the Sorrento Hotel and Virginia Mason Hospital. John S. Hudson (b. 1879) developed apartments primarily on Capitol Hill and First Hill between 1923 and 1928. He came to Seattle in 1903 from his native Minnesota. He began studying architecture in 1910 and obtained his architecture license in 1921, but he worked primarily as a developer. He is known to have been involved with at least a dozen buildings, many of them named to recall New England—the John Alden, Paul Revere, John Winthrop, Hudson Arms, Lexington-Concord, Faneuil Hall, Lowell and Emerson. Others are the Hudson Arms, Chasselton, Northcliffe, Miramar, Loleta, Roxbury, Rhododendron and Ruth Court (now Unity Court). Harry E. Hudson primarily did designs for his brother, John Hudson, one of the major apartment developers in the Capitol Hill/First Hill area. The Hudsons named their buildings after the heroes of New England history and literature. Hudson’s major works are the adjacent high-rise buildings on First Hill, the Lowell and the Emerson (1928). Nearby are the Paul Revere (1924), the John Alden (1924), the John Winthrop (1925), and Faneuil Hall (1928). In Belltown is the twin Lexington-Concord building. He also designed a house for James A. Gibbs, his brother’s development partner in the firm Gibbs and Hudson. The terra cotta-clad house, a Seattle historic landmark located on Queen Anne hill, was reportedly modeled after the Albert Rhodes mansion on Capitol Hill, designed by A. W. Gould.
 
Appearance
This four-story U-shaped building is clad in red brick, with brighter-colored brick used as ornamentation, forming quoins, string courses, lintels and a water table above the concrete foundation. Other ornamentation is of cream-colored terra cotta, including a cornice and coping and arched panels between windows in the center bay. The entry bay is more ornate, with a narrow portico supported by four columns, window surrounds and pilasters and a shield design on the parapet. The spandrels have a parquet pattern in varying shades of red bricks. The doorway itself is elaborate, with oak doors and sidelights of leaded art glass depicting the Mayflower. Windows elsewhere are vinyl sash.

Detail for 1019 Terry AVE / Parcel ID 197920-0250 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Unknown
Building Type: Domestic - Multiple Family Plan: U-Shape
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: four
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture
Integrity
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Windows: Slight
Major Bibliographic References
King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.
City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.

Photo collection for 1019 Terry AVE / Parcel ID 197920-0250 / Inv #


Photo taken Mar 08, 2006

Photo taken Mar 08, 2006
App v2.0.1.0