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Summary for this site is under review and the displayed data may not be fully up to date. If you need additional info, please call (206) 684-0464

Historic Name: Iris Apartments Common Name:
Style: Art Deco Neighborhood: Queen Anne
Built By: Year Built: 1930
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local).

This 3-story brick clad apartment building was constructed in 1930, according to the 1937 King County Assessor property card, in the Uptown neighborhood. The building is known as the Iris Apartments and features elements of the Tudor Revival style.

The original drawings indicate the building was designed by architect Max A. Van House (1887–1966) for Queen City Investment Co. Van House received his architectural training through on-the-job training with architectural firms, working with George Bullard and Heath & Gove, both in Tacoma. He then spent time in Butte, Montana, in practice with Walter Arnold. He returned to Washington and received his architectural license in Washington in 1925. Van House opened his own firm in Seattle and worked on a range of projects in a variety of architectural styles. He designed several apartment buildings in Seattle, including the Iris Apartments (415 W Roy Street), Ellenbert Apartments (1928), and Bering Apartments (1930).

 
Appearance

Constructed in 1930, this wood-frame apartment building is located midblock on the south side of W Roy Street between Fourth Avenue W and Fifth Avenue W. The site slopes down from north to south. The 3-story building has a rectangular plan and stands on a poured concrete foundation. The building has a flat roof with parapet. The building’s main (north) elevation faces W Roy Street. The main elevation is divided into three bays, with the center bay containing the front entrance. The windows above the entrance are staggered lower than the windows on either side, likely indicating its location of the building’s stairwell. These center bay windows are leaded glass with stained glass shields. The front door is wood with stained glass sidelights. A contemporary canopy shelters the front entrance. The center bay is framed by a cast concrete surround. The third floor windows on this elevation feature a decorative brick and cast concrete surround. Windows, on all elevations, are primarily wood, multi-lite over one sash. The windows in the side bays on the front elevation are sets of three windows, two 4:1 sash flanking a 16-lite fixed sash with a stained glass shield. Parged concrete lug sills further highlight the windows. Additional Tudor Revival elements include parged concrete quoins, a decorative coping at the parapet, and small medallions beneath the third floor windows and above the center bay.

The building retains excellent integrity and is a good example of a brick-clad apartment building.

Detail for this site is under review and the displayed data may not be fully up to date. If you need additional info, please call (206) 684-0464

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status: NR
Cladding(s): Brick Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Unknown
Building Type: Domestic - Multiple Family Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Unknown No. of Stories: three
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Windows: Intact
Major Bibliographic References
King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ed. Shaping Seattle Architecture, A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
City of Seattle DPD Microfilm Records.

Photo collection for this site is under review and the displayed data may not be fully up to date. If you need additional info, please call (206) 684-0464


Photo taken Jan 27, 2004

Photo taken Feb 26, 2018

Photo taken Feb 26, 2018

Photo taken Jan 01, 1900
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