This school is one of the four buildings of Sacred Heart Parish that occupy an entire block just outside the western edge of Seattle Center. Sacred Heart Parish is one of Seattle’s oldest, having been founded in 1889, when Father E. Demanez built a church at Sixth and Bell. The Redemptorist Fathers took over the project shortly afterward, and run the parish to this day. By 1891 they had built a church, convent and Seattle's first parish school. The church, the second Catholic church in the city, burned in 1899 and was rebuilt. In 1928 the parish faced destruction due to the Denny Regrade, and moved to this site. The church here, building a new church, school (1927) and convent (1929). The church was replaced in 1962, and a new rectory was built at about the same time. The parish school closed in 1969, but has had several uses since that time, including the Lifetime Learning Center for adult education (1976-c. 1998) and the Center School, a new public high school.
Content for this form was updated in 2018 as part of the Uptown Historic Resources Survey.
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places.
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to be within and potentially contributing to a potential National Register of Historic Places historic district.
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
This Italian Renaissance Revival style school is in the Uptown neighborhood and known as the Sacred Heart School.
Architect William L. Smith designed the building. Ground was broken for construction in 1927. The building served as both a chapel and a school. The congregation moved into this building from their former location at Sixth Avenue and Bell Street. The building was dedicated in 1928 by Bishop O’Dea. The Sisters of the Holy Names staffed the school until it closed in 1969.
This building retains good integrity and is a good example of an Italian Renaissance Revival style building. The building’s design and brick coloring set the precedent for the rest of the campus buildings (convent, rectory, and church).
References
City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, ed., Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Guide to the Architects (Seattle, University of Washington Press: 2014), 2nd edition.
King County Property Record Card (c. 1938–1972), Washington State Archives.
Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890–1996.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish website. “Church History.” https://www.sacredheartseattle.com/79. Accessed July 19, 2018.