| Historic Name: |
Kelley-Gorham Building |
Common Name: |
Haddon Hall Apartments |
| Style: |
Commercial |
Neighborhood: |
Downtown Urban Center |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1910 |
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| Significance |
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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 property is directly associated with the initial period (1902-1920) of downtown commercial expansion that occurred due to local economic prosperity after the Klondike Gold Rush and in tandem with explosive population growth and suburban residential development. During this era, modern urban architectural scale began with the construction of the earliest steel-frame high-rise buildings and the establishment of a concentration of banking enterprises and department stores along Second Avenue from Cherry Street to Pike Street. The initial regrading of Denny Hill and the commercial redevelopment of the former University Grounds (University/Metropolitan Tract) were major factors that facilitated northward and eastward commercial expansion. In 1914, the owners of the Frederick and Nelson Department Store purchased property with the intention of building a large, five-story store at Fifth Avenue and Pine Street, thus solidifying the location of the future downtown retail core. A significant number of extant commercial properties dating from this era remain within the downtown commercial core, including: numerous hotels, banks, business blocks and early high-rise commercial buildings, as well as some specialty and department stores, clubhouses, apartment houses and theaters.
In order to create additional industrial land areas to the south of the commercial district, as well as opportunities for commercial expansion further northward, major regrading efforts began in 1895. In 1897, First Avenue was further regraded and paved north from Pike Street to Denny Way. This was followed in 1903 when Second Avenue began to be extended and paved northward. By 1908, the major task of removing all of Denny Hill began in earnest. Most of Denny Hill to the west of Fifth Avenue had been removed by 1911; however, the lengthy civic debate over the Bogue Plan (that was ultimately rejected by voters in 1912) delayed real estate development in the vicinity. The anticipated major commercial development to the north of Stewart Street was slow to occur. With only a few exceptions, it was not until the early 1920s that sizable hotel, apartment and commercial construction occurred.
Buildings that provided multiple-family housing in Seattle was not identified or described specifically as “apartment houses” prior to c.1903. During the late nineteenth and well into the twentieth centuries, numerous downtown hotel buildings functioned for long-term residential purposes. By 1905, several small apartment buildings had been constructed and were mingled primarily among the older single family residences located uphill and to the NE of the expanding commercial district. Most apartment construction during this era appears to have been concentrated further uphill along Yesler Way and on First Hill, as well as in burgeoning neighborhoods like Capitol Hill and Queen Anne Hill. As Denny Hill was removed and regraded in phases, small mixed use apartment buildings began to be constructed on the newly regraded lots. By the late 1910s, larger apartment houses had been constructed in the Denny Regrade area to the north of Stewart Street, including some extant examples: the Sheridan Apartments (1914); the Nesika Apartments (Stratford Apartments, 1915); and the Virginian Apartments (1917). During the 1920s, two large apartment hotels were constructed in the commercial core; however, major apartment house construction did not occur. Such development was heavily concentrated in residential neighborhoods, particularly First Hill and Capitol Hill where numerous noteworthy examples from this era remain.
The Kelley-Gorham apartment building was designed and constructed in 1910 for W.R. Kelley and Charles W. Gorham, believed to be a real estate development firm. Upon its construction, it was reported to be the first large building to be erected on the regraded section of upper Third Avenue. The design of the six-story masonry building varies slightly from that of other apartment buildings due to the inclusion of storefront retail space at the ground floor level. The building was designed by architect Charles Badgley for whom no biographical, related architectural projects or career information is known. By 1937, the building had become known as Haddon Hall.
The Kelley-Gorman apartment building is a generally well-preserved example of a rare downtown apartment house property type from this era. It is a noteworthy example of early commercial and apartment house design from this era. This property apears to meet local landmark criteria as part of a cohesive group of four generally intact commercial buildings situated on the west side of the 1900 block of Third Avenue including: the Donahoe Garage (1916), White Garage (1928), Kelley-Gorham Building (1910) and Heiden Building (c.1914).
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| Appearance |
| Located mid-block on the west side of Third Avenue between Stewart and Virginia Streets, this six-story building was designed and constructed to serve as a 60 unit apartment house with retail uses at street level purposes for which it continues to be used. It measures 60’ x 108’ with an I-shaped plan from the 2nd through 6th floor levels that allows for south and north lights wells at the residential units. The two-part vertical block façade composition exhibits modest terra cotta ornamentation.
The ordinary masonry structure with full concrete basement and foundation is clad with gray-color pressed brick at the façade. The base is distinguished by a central segmental arched entry vestibule flanked by broad segmental arched storefront bays. A simple unadorned brick molding separates the base and the shaft at the second floor window sill level. The façade is divided vertically into five bays with individually set windows in varied groups. The central three bays have a tripartite window configuration and the end bays have sets of individually set windows. All of the original window units were double-hung with multi-pane upper sash members. They have been replaced with modern 1/1 sash members. There is a simple cornice and parapet cap that appears to be clad with simply ornamented gray-color terra cotta. Each of the six structural piers is accentuated by a gabled cap at the parapet edge. A stepped parapet that originally accentuated the central bay has been removed.
The storefront level retains some historic building fabric and features including multi-pane transom windows at the south bay, ornate segmental arched windows and historic tile finishes at the entry vestibule. The moulding and voussoirs at the segmental arched openings appear to be original, however the face of the arches originally had a rusticated finish that has been removed or infilled. There do not appear to be any intact or architecturally significant interior building features, finishes or public spaces. |
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