Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 105 Ward ST / Parcel ID 545730-0270 / Inv #

Historic Name: Ward Apartments Common Name: Style: Art Deco - Zig Zag Neighborhood: Queen Anne Built By: Year Built: 1931   Significance 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 meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). Many Seattle neighborhood experienced a large amount of apartment construction during the late 1920s. The city had seen considerable population growth in the previous decades, and many sought their own living quarters. In the 1920s the booming economy allowed this demand to be met. This was particularly true on Queen Anne because of its convenient location and easy transportation to downtown. Toward the end of the decade, Art Deco ornamentation was found on many apartment buildings, and this is one of the best examples. The stylized floral motif, along with steel window sash and zigzag brick patterns, provided a modern touch to a simple brick box. It was built in 1931, at the very end of the apartment boom. The building was designed for the Mackintosh-Truman Lumber Company by Schack and Young, one of the city's most prominent firms. It was owned for many years by Samuel Q. Reid, a dentist, and his wife Mildred. The buidling appears to be intact, with the only changes being the installation of sprinklers and other code improvements. James Schack and Arrigo Young were partners from 1929, when their third partner, David Myers departed, until Schack's death in 1933. A native of Germany, James Hansen Schack came to Seattle in 1901 after receiving architectural training at various Chicago firms. He was a partner of Daniel Huntington from 1907-09, primarily designing apartments, commercial buildings and residences. Arrigo Young, an Englishman, was trained as an engineer at the University of Michigan, coming to Seattle in 1910 to head the structural deaprtment of the Moran Company. In 1913 he opened his own structural engineering office. In 1920 he formed a new firm with Schack and another architect, David Myers. The firm designed the Seattle Civic Auditorium complex, the town of Longview and numerous residences and commercial buildings. In the late 1920s apartment buildings became an important part of the firm's work. Another Art Deco example from this period, considerably more restrained than this one, is the Baroness Apartments (1930-31) on First Hill.   Appearance This three-story brick apartment block is distinguished by its Art Deco-Zigzag Moderne façade. The small recessed entry has a terra cotta façade with a stylized floral motif and fluted sides. The transom above the door has a stepped shape reflecting the opening. To the west of the entry is the interior stairwell, with two Art Deco stained glass windows. Three top floor windows have wrought iron balconies with a pattern echoing that of the stained glass windows. Windows throughout are original steel sash; most have a pair of casement windows surrounded by fixed transoms and side panels. The entry bay and the end bays are clad with angled brick and topped with a cast stone plaque with incised ornament in an exuberant floral pattern. The top floor windows have angled brick lintels. The west elevation is similar to the front, but less elaborate, with angled brick ornamentation on the first and fourth bays, with a cast stone plaque with floral ornament. Four garage doors with four-light doors are along the street front on the west. The concrete basement has six-light sash. The south and east elevations are plain, without any ornament.

Detail for 105 Ward ST / Parcel ID 545730-0270 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: 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: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: three Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture Integrity Changes to Windows: Intact Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Major Bibliographic References Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996. Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ed. Shaping Seattle Architecture, A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.

Photo collection for 105 Ward ST / Parcel ID 545730-0270 / Inv #

Photo taken Aug 16, 2004