Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 416 Occidental AVE / Parcel ID 5247800780 / Inv #

Historic Name: Graybar Electric Company/ Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company Building Common Name: Graybar Building/ Greybar 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). This is a distinctive Moderne building which dates from 1930. Moderne facades are somewhat rare and mainly show up in Pioneer Square as a result of the Second Avenue Extension Project of 1928-29. This building is not directly located along the path of the Second Avenue Extension, but the Extension project was undertaken to create direct access from the railroad stations to points north in the new heart of Downtown Seattle. This building, which originally housed the Graybar Electric Company, is located very close to the railroad stations. Its construction is related to the same impetus that drove the Second Avenue Extension. It later housed Pacific Northwest Bell.   Appearance This is a two-story masonry building with a flat roof. The building’s parapet is punctuated by the tops of brick pilasters that visually divide the street facing elevations, west and south, into 5 bays. All of the visual interest of the building exterior is created by a variety of brick detailing. Ornamental brick pilasters sit on a base created in basic running bond, topped by a stretcher course. The “shaft” of each pilaster is created by the incremental thickening in plan of the brick wall toward the centerline of the pilaster. Spandrels are detailed with alternating vertical bands of stretchers and headers below and above the second story windows. Storefront window openings take up most of the width of the bays between brick pilasters. A major entry is placed symmetrically at the central bay of the west façade. Ornamental shields of blue and grey tile sit above elongated rectangular window openings. Also distinctive are the two Moderne metal light fixtures. These are square in plan with chamfered edges, but elongated in elevation.

Detail for 416 Occidental AVE / Parcel ID 5247800780 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: NR, LR Cladding(s): Brick, Ceramic tile, Metal Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition, Unknown Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Professional Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Concrete - Poured No. of Stories: two Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Community Planning/Development, Manufacturing/Industry Integrity Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Storefront: Slight Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Intact Major Bibliographic References Lange, Greg and Tim O’Brian, “Virtual Pioneer Square,” unpublished manuscript, 27 October 1996. King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.

Photo collection for 416 Occidental AVE / Parcel ID 5247800780 / Inv #

Photo taken Nov 27, 2004