Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 419 Denny WAY / Parcel ID 0696000380 / Inv #

Historic Name: Rodeo Café Common Name: Zeek's Pizza Style: Queen Anne, Vernacular Neighborhood: Belltown Built By: Year Built: 1902   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. The building is notable for its age, its intact turn-of-the-century character and the key location on Denny Way. According to building permit records, the older part, the 2-story western section, was constructed in 1902 by owner J. T. Klette (permit #113093). The 3-story section may have been built in 1912, although the permit record is unclear. The building was purchased in 1920 by E. V. Adams, who owned a number of Belltown properties, including the Adams Apartments at Third and Bell. It appears to have always been a restaurant or tavern. In 1937 it housed the Rodeo Café & Tavern and The Hub, a beer parlor. Several apartments upstairs were known as the Wedgewood Apartments. The buidling was renovated by the Fifth & Denny Partnership (Rich Cardwell, architect) in 1978 (permit #574812). At this time, the restaurant storefront was restored, the apartments were converted to offices and a roof deck (barely visible) was added. Second-floor windows on the smaller building were changed to be more similar to those on the larger building. According to the plans, the work restored the building's earlier appearance, with four-over-one three-part windows on the upper floors and display windows with transoms. Restaurant interiors have been altered over the years as the owners changed.   Appearance The three-story eastern part of his building has deep eaves with corbels, red brick cladding on the first floor and stucco on the top two floors. The restored display windows have multi-light transoms, with vertical board bulkheads below the windows. The east elevation has two three-sided bays on the second and third floors with renovated wrought iron balconies extending between them. The north elevation has a similar bay. Windows in the bays have four-over-one sash in the center with one-over-one on the sides; single windows between the bays are also four-over-one. The smaller building originally had single one-over-one sash on the second story, which have been replaced with the three-part windows to match the larger building. It also has deep eaves, with curved corbels.

Detail for 419 Denny WAY / Parcel ID 0696000380 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Brick, Concrete, Stucco, Wood Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Eaves Roof Material(s): Unknown Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Restaurant Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Brick No. of Stories: three Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture Integrity Changes to Original Cladding: Slight Changes to Windows: Slight Changes to Plan: Slight Major Bibliographic References Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996. King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972. City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.

Photo collection for 419 Denny WAY / Parcel ID 0696000380 / Inv #

Photo taken Mar 18, 2007