| Historic Name: |
Oxford Crest Apartments |
Common Name: |
Oxford Crest Apartments |
| Style: |
Beaux Arts - Neoclassical |
Neighborhood: |
Pike/Pine |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1924 |
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| Significance |
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The Oxford Crest Apartments wa sbult in 1925 along the busy Boren Avenue corridor. Its original configuration illustrates the variety of accommodation at the time, as it had not only 64 apartments but 16 single rooms, ten of which shared bath facilities. It is a good example of the numerous apartment buildings that began appearing on First Hill in the first quarter of the 20th century. In the 1880s-90s, the area, with views and proximity to downtown, had developed as the premiere residential neighborhood, with the city's finest mansions. However, by 1920, apartments and institutions such as hospitals and schools appeared throughout. This building was constructed in 1924, at the beginning of the building boom or the 1920s. The city's population has increased dramatically in previous decades, and prosperity encouraged developers to meet the pent-up demand for housing. Apartments, ranging from basic housing to luxury units, were a significant factor in meeting this need, and became a major element of the streetscape in many Seattle neighborhoods, especially First Hill, which saw larger buildings than any neighborhood outside of downtown.
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| Appearance |
| The four-story Oxford Crest is prominent for its hillside siting on Boren Avenue and its light buff-colored brick veneer with accents of white brick. The building has a U-shaped plan, with a narrow landscaped entry courtyard. Ornamentation consists primarily of a large cornice of corbelled white brick, and white brick pilasters at the corners and between the bays on the main façade and around the courtyard. The entry itself is simple, with newer doors. There is a secondary entrance on the south elevation. The foundation is concrete, and several metal fire escapes are visible on the side elevations; the rear elevation is clad with red brick. |
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