| Historic Name: |
Lexington-Concord Apartments |
Common Name: |
Lexington-Concord Apartments |
| Style: |
Colonial - Georgian Revival |
Neighborhood: |
Belltown |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1923 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. |
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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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This double apartment building was constructed in 1923 by John Lorentz, who did extensive housing development on Queen Anne. The architect was Harry Hudson, a prolific designer of apartment buildings in the Belltown and Capitol Hill/First Hill areas. The building is owned by the YMCA, which operates it as low-income housing. In 1991 it was renovated by local preservation architects Stickney-Murphy-Romine.
This building, although more ornate than most, is generally typical of the numerous apartment buildings that were constructed between the two world wars. In only twenty years, Seattle’s population had exploded from 80,671 (1900) to 315,312 (1920). After the regrading of Denny Hill between 1898 and 1911 opened this area up for development, developers soon constructed apartment buildings to meet the acute housing need. These buildings provided modest but comfortable accommodations that were affordable for the sales clerks, clerical staff and other workers in downtown businesses.
Harry E. Hudson and his brother, John Hudson, a major apartment developer, were from the Northeast, and named their buildings after the heroes of New England history and literature. Hudson’s other 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). He also designed a house for James 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 modeled after the Albert Rhodes mansion designed by A. W. Gould.
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| Appearance |
| The Lexington-Concord is more ornate than most Belltown apartment buildings, generally in the Georgain style. It is essentially two apartment buildings connected between the two entries, with a deep narrow courtyard between the two wings in the rear. The recessed entries have ornate terra cotta surrounds. The second and third stories of the entry bays have arched recesses with double doors opening onto small balconies. The second floor balconies are made of terra cotta, with smaller wrought iron balconies on the third floor. The entry bay is flanked on each floor by small arched windows with tracery. Other terra cotta trim includes the heavy cornice with prominent paired corbels, window sills, and the coping and medallions on the stepped parapet. The distinctive wood windows, with six-over-one and ten-over-one configurations are intact. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| 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: |
three |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.
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City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.
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Sheridan, Mimi, “Historic Context Statement, Belltown," 2007.
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