Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 83 S Jackson ST S / Parcel ID 5247800230 / Inv #

Historic Name: Schwabacher Hardware Annex/ Old Theater Office Common Name: Schwabacher Hardware Annex Style: Commercial - Chicago School Neighborhood: Pioneer Square Built By: Year Built: 1909   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). Designed by Bebb and Gould, this was originally a warehouse building, and an annex to the original Schwabacher Hardware Company Building, designed by Bebb and Mendel. It dates from 1909 and was at one time, (and sometimes still), known as the Schwabacher Warehouse Annex. While it is much simpler than the main building, it was only built about four years after the original. Its architectural style clearly echoes it. With the other buildings on the block – the Schwabacher Hardware Company Building, the Seller and Hambach Buildings - it reflects the cleaner lines and simplicity of buildings of this period; but it was clearly designed as an annex, rather than a building that was to have a major presence, as were the other buildings on this block. Its upper level windows appear to have been double-hung, as they are now, while the wider openings, although mostly the same width, have been modified to fit various uses. Still the building exterior is reasonably intact and an important part of the ensemble of buildings on west side of the block facing First Avenue South, from Jackson to King Streets. The building was built for the Schwabacher Hardware Company, which was a leading supplier of dry goods during the Klondike Gold Rush (The Canadian government required that Americans coming to the Klondike have a year’s worth of supplies). The Schwabacher Brothers had been important in this part of Seattle since 1869 and had previously built the Schwabacher Building (First Avenue South and Yesler Way) and the State Building (Occidental Avenue South and Main Street), both of which are extant. This building ,like its neighbors, represents the extension of the earlier part of the city, originally built closer to Pioneer Place right after the Fire of 1889. In 1983, the R.D. Merrill Company applied for and obtained historic certification for four buildings, the Schwabacher Hardware Company Building (1903-05), the Schwabacher Warehouse Annex (1909) the M. Seller Building (1906) and the Hambach Building of 1913 and the Schwabacher Warehouse Annex (1909). These four buildings now form the core of Merrill Place, a rehabilitation completed by Olson/Walker Architects and NBBJ in 1985.   Appearance This is a three story building, located behind the main Schwabacher Hardware Company Building, which has elevations on First Avenue South and Jackson Street. This building is clad in dark red brick that is similar to that on the main building and has a similar corbelled parapet. The design and detailing of this building, however, is simple. Window openings are almost square and contain pairs of double-hung windows at the second and third levels. At the first level, openings are wider: There is now a large opening at the first bay, which leads to the Merrill Place alley /courtyard , as well as an entry to what now serves as the local Post Office for Pioneer Square.

Detail for 83 S Jackson ST S / Parcel ID 5247800230 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: NR, LR Cladding(s): Brick Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Warehouse Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Masonry - Unreinforced No. of Stories: three Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce Integrity Changes to Windows: Moderate Changes to Plan: Intact Major Bibliographic References Ochsner, Jeffrey and Dennis Andersen. Distant Corner: Seattle Architects and The Legacy of H. H. Richardson. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 2004. R. D. Merrill Company. “Merrill Place, Historic Preservation Certification, Part 1,” 18 May 1983. Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation, State of Washington, Olympia, Washington, Microfiche File.

Photo collection for 83 S Jackson ST S / Parcel ID 5247800230 / Inv #

Photo taken Oct 26, 2004