| Historic Name: |
Garage Building for George L. Seibert |
Common Name: |
The Lenora Building |
| Style: |
Commercial |
Neighborhood: |
Denny Triangle |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1924 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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According to extant recorded drawings from 1924, the building was designed as a “Garage Building for George L. Seibert,” by architect Earl Roberts. It originally appears to have served as the garage for the more ornate, terra cotta clad and multi-colored building at 2030 8th Avenue, designed by Roberts, as a “Store and Loft Building for George L. Seibert.” This last building is, in fact, located at a diagonal across Lenora Street from the former garage building, on the southeast corner of Lenora Street and 8th Avenue.
The building appears as a well-designed warehouse building, typical of the 1920s and Seattle’s industrial architectural heritage. The original interior, not surprisingly, consists of regularly spaced wood posts, set in concrete footings. According to drawings produced by the engineering firm of W. H. Witt Company for the “Victor Improvement Company,” which date from January 23, 1936, the building was altered very slightly, when trusses were added to support the roof. By 1946, minor changes, including the addition of a ramp and fire escape, were designed by the architecture firm of Grainger and Thomas, the designers of the Pike Place Market. By 1963, St Germain and Pittsenbarger, engineers, replaced the roof trusses with steel beams. Subsequent remodels have also been mainly on the interior and have not affected the integrity of the exterior cladding.
The original architect of the building, Earl Roberts, designed many Seattle buildings from the 1920s until at least the mid-1930s. He appears to have practiced architecture in Seattle at least until 1939. The body of his known work in Seattle shows variety, but also shows a keen interest in historical styles. Earl Roberts also designed several recognizable 1920s University District apartment buildings in the Collegiate Gothic style. Typically clad in brick and with terra cotta ornament, these buildings include the Malloy, the Stanford Apartments (historically the Smart Apartments) and the University Manor Apartments (formerly the Washington Manor). Roberts also was responsible for the Fifth Church of Christ Scientist, now the Rainier Valley Cultural Center, located in Columbia City and completed in 1921. The brick clad Marianne Manor at 1825 Nagle Place dates from 1936.
Aside from changes to the storefront glazing, which do not mar the general appearance of the building, the present building is a simple but elegant example of early Seattle industrial architecture from the 1920s. Taken with the rest of Roberts’ work, and particularly with its companion at 2030 8th Avenue, the building is a yet another testament to this architect’s versatility.
The building now houses several businesses, including, on the ground level, the well-known art gallery, the Woodside Braseth Gallery.
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| Appearance |
| This is a two-story concrete building, which is square in plan, 120 feet by 120 feet. It is located on the northwest corner of Lenora Street and 9th Avenue. Each elevation, which is faced in concrete, is divided into six equal bays, each flanked by continuous engaged piers. The piers rise from grade to slightly past the parapet. The rise and fall of the parapet, punctuated by the piers, creates a continuous rhythm across the face of all four building elevations. The elevations were designed to be consistently the same on all four sides. Differences are mainly due to subsequent remodels, but the building exterior is reasonably intact. At the second level, each bay typically has one large, rectangular opening, filled with industrial, multi-pane sash, with operable sections. The typical ground level consists of storefront, which has usually been replaced, but with original multi-pane transoms with wood muntins. The transom windows are subdivided into three multi-pane sections, each 4 over 4. Also of note, toward the top of each bay, there is a repeated design, consisting of four small squares, set in a cross pattern around a central and larger diamond shape. The very slightly extruded shapes are most likely of ceramic, although paint makes this hard to tell and the extruded shapes could also be of concrete. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
INV |
| Cladding(s): |
Concrete |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat with Parapet |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Transportation - Road- Related |
Plan: |
Square |
| Structural System: |
Concrete - Poured |
No. of Stories: |
two |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Manufacturing/Industry, Transportation |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Storefront: |
Slight |
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Changes to Windows: |
Moderate |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Slight |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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M. Sheridan, “Marianne Manor,” Historic Property Invenctory Report, City of Seattle Database, July 30, 2002.
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M. Sheridan, “Butterworth Arthur A. Wright Funeral Home,” Historic Property Inventory Report, City of Seattle Neighborhood Survey and Inventory Database, July 30, 2002.
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Sarah Sodt/ Cathy Dampier, “Malloy Apartments,” Historic Property Inventory Report, City of Seattle Neighborhood Survey and Inventory Database, January 25, 2002.
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Sarah Sodt, “Stanford Apartments,” and “University Manor Apartments,” Historic Property Inventory Report, City of Seattle Neighborhood Survey and Inventory Database, February 8, 2002
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Sarah Sodt, , “Rainier Valley Cultural Center,” Historic Property Inventory Report, City of Seattle Neighborhood Survey and Inventory Database, March 29, 2004.
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