| Historic Name: |
Store Building for A. J. Eberharter |
Common Name: |
Willamette Dental |
| Style: |
Commercial |
Neighborhood: |
South Lake Union |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
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| Significance |
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The building was originally designed by architect W. R. Grant as a “Store Building for A. J. Eberharter,” and completed in 1931. The building appears to have been designed to house separate stores, all fronting on Dexter Avenue North, with the back half of the building devoted to garage space. By 1938, for instance, according to Polk’s Directories, one shop housed “Black and Decker Manufacturing Company Electrical Supplies” and the other, “J. R. Watkins Food Products.” Separating the shops and the garage was a long hallway accessed from a double door on John Street. Original construction drawings show storefronts with clerestories as now, but with doors inset to the right or left of each storefront, creating pairs of doors toward each end of the façade. It is not clear if the building was ever built as shown, although it is likely that it was; but based on a later photograph, by 1952, the present configuration with the entrance door at the second bay from the south was already in place. The building was also remodeled in 1966 by architect William Overholt and then in 1999, by Waterleaf Architecture and Interiors, who remodeled the interior of the building for a dental office, but made no significant changes the exterior.
While the façade retains some of the basic elements of its design, including the clerestories and herringbone pattern at the parapet level, it is very likely that there have been important changes since 1931. Still most seem to have been made by the 1950s.The building is chiefly interesting as another structure, sited along Dexter Avenue, designed by an architect, whose work is represented all along Dexter Avenue. W. R. Grant designed several buildings for A. J. Eberharter in the vicinity of this one, including: 400 Dexter Avenue N (# 153) and 430 Dexter Avenue N (#151), 228 Dexter Avenue N. (#158) and 513 Dexter Avenue North (#162) and most likely 509 Dexter Avenue N (#163).
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| Appearance |
| Located on the southwest corner of Dexter Avenue North and John Street, this is a one story building with parapet and exterior brick cladding and a small amount of cast stone trim. Its shorter elevation and Main façade on Dexter Avenue North features four bays, separated by engaged piers. The exterior face of each pier has a cast stone base and brick shaft. Between the piers are storefronts, typical of 1920s and 1930s warehouse buildings in the South Lake Union neighborhood: the typical bay consists of glazed storefront over a low sill and multi-light clerestory above. This configuration occurs in the first, third and fourth bay, counting from the south. At the second bay, glazing and hardware have clearly been replaced around a new entry door. Also of note is the herringbone pattern in brick at the parapet level, the most important distinguishing feature of the building façade.
The longer side elevation on John Street features repeated bays with the characteristic storefront configuration. |
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| Status: |
No - Altered |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
INV |
| Cladding(s): |
Brick, Concrete, Wood |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat with Parapet |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Commercial/Trade - Business |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Brick |
No. of Stories: |
one |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Manufacturing/Industry |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Storefront: |
Moderate |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Moderate |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.
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