Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 115 S Jackson ST S / Parcel ID 5247800265 / Inv #

Historic Name: Simonds Building and Brawley Building/ Rautman Plumbing and Heating Company Common Name: Fisher Building Style: Art Deco Neighborhood: Pioneer Square Built By: Year Built: 1930   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). According to King County Assessor records, the original building dates from 1900. In fact, the original structure consisted of two separate buildings, an east building, originally known as the Simonds Building, whose first floor was constructed in 1898 and the second floor in 1900. The west building was the Brawley Building, completed in 1900. Both buildings were subsequently remodeled with one single façade in 1929-30. According to unsigned drawings at the City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development, it was also remodeled in 1929-30 for the Rautman Plumbing and Heating Company. At this time, it acquired its Art Deco façade. In addition to the Second Avenue Extension façade changes, along Jackson Street, the remodels of this building and of the storefront level of the Washington Shoe Building suggest that business owners were making an effort to attract clientele, in several cases with “jazzier,” Art Deco design. The Washington Shoe Building storefront and particularly this facade are excellent examples. The original occupant, before the remodel, was the Simonds Manufacturing Company, which was in the east building from 1898 to 1915. The Brawley Brothers, W. R. and W. C. Brawley, as well as their heirs, owned their property from 1887, before the construction of their building, to 1929. Morris Fisher purchased the entire building as remodeled in 1959. As a result, the building has frequently been known as the Fisher Building and in 1979, the Fisher Inventory Company was still listed as a tenant. In 1974, the building also housed Shorey’s bookstore, a local and beloved used book store and in 1979, the Fisher Inventory Company is listed as a tenant. In 1984, Equivalents Gallery was located here.   Appearance This is a two story building with brick walls, made up of two buildings, which originally dated from 1900. In a 1929-30 remodel of the two buildings, the façades were reclad with a veneer of concrete/ cast stone, now painted white and with cast-stone ornament in a terra cotta pink color, as well as granite. The resulting facade is one of the best examples of Art Deco in Seattle. The façade is distinguished by six implied bays grouped in two sets of three bays each. Each tripartite section consists of a central entry emphasized by symmetrically placed “horns of plenty,” around a hexagonal medallion with geometric patterns. To each side of the entry, which has double doors, are shallow ornamental pilasters. The pilasters each consist of a marble base topped by a fluted shaft, capped by a stylized cast stone ram figure in bas-relief. The cast stone ram figures are set at roughly the same height as the second story casement windows, which have clerestory levels. The central pilaster and the pilasters at the corner of the façade rise above the level of the circular terra cotta medallions, which are set symmetrically above each of the window openings. Corner pilasters are surmounted by pairs of cast stone panels, which are more or less square in general shape, and show a stylized figure turning a wheel in bas-relief, with cogged wheels in the background, as well as some floral decoration- a representation that seems to allude to industry and work.

Detail for 115 S Jackson ST S / Parcel ID 5247800265 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: NR, LR Cladding(s): Concrete, Stone, Stone - Ashlar/cut Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition, Unknown Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Warehouse Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Masonry - Unreinforced No. of Stories: two Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Manufacturing/Industry Integrity Changes to Original Cladding: Moderate Changes to Windows: Slight Changes to Plan: Intact Major Bibliographic References Lange, Greg and Tim O’Brian, “Virtual Pioneer Square,” unpublished manuscript, 27 October 1996. City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfiche Library, (especially, drawings and “white cards.”) King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.

Photo collection for 115 S Jackson ST S / Parcel ID 5247800265 / Inv #

Photo taken Jun 08, 2004 Photo taken Jun 08, 2004