| Historic Name: |
Matilda Winehill Block |
Common Name: |
Bread of Life Mission |
| Style: |
Commercial, Queen Anne - Richardsonian Romanesque |
Neighborhood: |
Pioneer Square |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1890 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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This building sits on the former site of Doc Maynard’s original general store. The Matilda Winehill Block, was built as a hotel between 1889 and 1890 by Bucheler and Hummel. In terms of structure, it is typical of the buildings erected after the Fire of 1889: it has brick exterior walls and heavy timber interior structure. It followed the rules as set forth in Ordinance No. 1147, which was publicized in the Post-Intelligencer shortly after the Fire and outlined the regulations for buildings erected in the former “burnt district.” The wooden bays, however, were more typical of the Victorian appendages on buildings constructed before the Fire. They were also considered objectionable and a possible fire hazard, so much so that, according to an article in the April 3, 1890 issue of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, they became the target of a lawsuit. Originally the main angled projecting bay, also had a ridged roof, which has been lost.
Aside from the loss of the top level of the main angled projecting bay and a portion of the parapet, probably as a result of the 1949 Earthquake, the building is fairly intact, particularly at the second and third levels. The building, with the gridlike composition of its facade and the ornamentation over the flattened segmental arches, as well as the wooden bays, has a particularly Victorian flavor, that harks back to pre-fire buildings in the area, but also reflects the changes in design and building as a result of Ordinance No. 1147.
The Bread of Life Mission has occupied the building since 1945, hence the building’s common name.
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| Appearance |
| This Bread of Life Mission Building, formerly known as the Matilda Winehill Block, is a three story building, with exterior brick walls and cast stone trim, as well as two overhanging wood bays. One of these is set on an angled elevation between Main Street and First Avenue South and the other placed at the central bay of the Main Street elevation. The angled projecting bay actually indicates the former name of the building as well as the date, “1889.” The two street facing elevations are on Main Street and First Avenue South. These elevations are divided vertically by brick pilasters that alternately rise from the ground or from above the first level to a horizontal brick band or to a dentil band parallel to it and near the top of the parapet. The building is also distinguished by typical repeated window openings, some with paired windows, others with only a single window. The window openings have low segmental arches, with cast stone decoration that follows the shape of the window opening as well as a characteristic ornamental keystone. In addition to the various moldings and dentils toward the top of the parapet wall, other elements that reinforce horizontality are the cast stone window sills. The two projecting wooden bays, particularly on the angled entrance, are particularly noticeable: They have long single double-hung windows at two levels, and two levels of ornamental pilasters with simple Doric or Tuscan capitals. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
NR, LR |
| Cladding(s): |
Brick, Stone - Cast, Wood |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat with Parapet, Other |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition, Unknown |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Hotel |
Plan: |
Irregular |
| Structural System: |
Masonry - Unreinforced |
No. of Stories: |
three |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Politics/Government/Law, Science & Engineering |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Storefront: |
Slight |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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Ochsner, Jeffrey and Dennis Andersen. Distant Corner: Seattle Architects and The Legacy of H. H. Richardson. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 2004.
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King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.
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Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 3 April, 1890, p 8.
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