| Historic Name: |
Securities Building |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Beaux Arts - American Renaissance |
Neighborhood: |
Downtown Urban Center |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1913, 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 National Register of Historic Places. |
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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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This property is directly associated with the initial period (1902-1920) of downtown commercial expansion that occurred due to local economic prosperity after the Klondike Gold Rush and in tandem with explosive population growth and suburban neighborhood development. During this era, modern downtown urban scale began with the construction of the earliest steel-frame highrise buildings and the establishment of a concentration of banking enterprises and department stores along Second Avenue from Cherry Street to Pike Street. The initial regrading of Denny Hill and the commercial redevelopment of the former University Grounds (University/Metropolitan Tract) were major factors that facilitated northward and eastward commercial expansion. In 1914, the owners of the Frederick and Nelson Department Store purchased property with the intention of building a large, five-story store at Fifth Avenue and Pine Street, thus solidifying the location of the future downtown retail core. A significant number of extant commercial properties dating from this era remain within the downtown commercial core, including: numerous hotels, banks, business blocks and early highrise commercial buildings, as well as some specialty and department stores, clubhouses, apartment houses and theaters.
In order to create additional industrial land areas to the south of the commercial district, as well as opportunities for commercial expansion further northward, major regrading efforts began in 1895. Under the direction of City Engineer R.H. Thompson, various projects were initiated with the intention of reducing the steepest slopes and eliminating the obstructing hills and filling tidelands. In 1897, First Avenue was further regraded and paved north from Pike Street to Denny Way. This was followed in 1903 when Second Avenue began to be extended and paved northward. By 1908, the major task of removing all of Denny Hill began in earnest. It would take over twenty years to completely remove Denny Hill; in the process Fourth Avenue at Blanchard Street would be lowered in elevation by some 107 feet.
Most of Denny Hill to the west of Fifth Avenue had been removed by 1911; however, the lengthy civic debate over the Bogue Plan (that was ultimately rejected by voters in 1912) delayed real estate development in the vicinity. The anticipated major commercial development to the north of Stewart Street was slow to occur. With only a few exceptions, it was not until the early 1920s that sizable hotel and apartment house construction occurred.
In 1904, a group of local investors purchased the entire city block between Third and Fourth Avenues and Stewart and Virginia Street, during the initial stages of the removal of Denny Hill. The group included. J.W. Clise, William Pitt Trimble, C.J. Smith and others, and would become known as the Washington Securities Company. In January 1907, the Seattle PI reported that architects Graham and Myers were preparing plans for C.J. Smith to erect an office building at the NE corner of Third Avenue and Stewart Street. The ten-story steel would be constructed at a cost of $800,000 and clad with glazed terra cotta. It was reported that the building would house some 250 offices, a bank at ground floor and a basement level café and that it was the owners’ intention to construct additional buildings on the block. However, this project did not proceed.
In late August 1909 the Seattle PI ran a headline “Mushroom Growth of New Buildings” about the dramatic amount of large building being constructed in the business district to the north of University Street. The article noted that the upper end of Second Avenue was a prominent area of development but that new hotels and offices buildings had been constructed at a phenomenal rate over the prior six months throughout the north end of the district. The article also noted that the Washington Securities Company had decided to proceed with construction of a new ten-story steel and concrete office building at NE corner of Third Avenue and Stewart Street. However, again the project did not proceed.
Finally on March 21, 1912 the Seattle PI reported that the Washington Securities Company would indeed proceed with development of their property in the regrade area. The news article reported that J.W. Clise had announced that “as a direct result of the defeat of the Bogue civic center plans construction work will immediately proceed” on the first unit of the building anticipated said to cost $1,000,000. However, the initial section – half of the planned building – would be completed first at a cost of $500,000. Clise stated that the project had been postponed since the fall of 1911 due to the Bogue plan proposals that had to be decided by a public vote. He noted that “due to the injurious effects the plan would have on our properties, we postponed work until the issue could be defeated.”
The highly ornamental ten-story terra cotta clad building was reported to have been designed by Frank P. Allen. However, Allen moved to San Diego California in early 1912 to serve as the director of works at the Panama Pacific Exposition (held in 1915) and John Graham, Sr. is generally credited with the design.
The architect, John Graham, Sr. (1873-1955), was one of the city's most prominent designers. Born in Liverpool, he apprenticed as an architect in England before moving to Seattle in 1901. He was responsible for many of the city’s most important landmarks. His work covered a wide range of building types, including a number of residences; the Ford Motor Company assembly plant (1913); office buildings including the Joshua Green Building (1913), the Dexter-Horton Building (1921-24) and the Exchange Building (1929-31); institutions (four buildings at the University of Washington, 1927-28) and the U.S. Marine Hospital (1931-34); and department stores (Frederick & Nelson (1916-19) and the Bon Marche (1928-29), as well as churches, yacht clubs and apartments building. He also embraced a variety of styles, from the Tudor seen in the Victoria and the university buildings to the Art Deco masterpieces of the Exchange Building and the Marine Hospital.
The Securities Building was the first and the only substantial commercial office building to be constructed north of Pine Street; however, the developers did not succeed in attracting other major commercial real estate development. It is not known what specific circumstances may have occurred that the construction of the planned additional wing to the north was not undertaken. The cost of the anticipated full construction may have proved to be too great in conjunction with the subsequent construction of a significant number of other highrise buildings and large commercial blocks, which must have diminished the market for office space. In this case, it may have indeed been just too far north. Several other downtown buildings that were constructed during this era with only partially realized original designs, including: the Mehlorn Building; Baillargeon Store Building; Central Building; the County-City Building (King County Courthouse); Rector/Governor Hotel (St. Charles Hotel) and the YWCA Building.
As noted above, the ownership of the building struggled until the 1920s when the presence of a major department store, Frederick and Nelson, solidified the location of the future downtown retail core. The local economic prosperity of the 1920s stimulated the development of numerous major highrise commercial buildings, as well as smaller-scale bank and commercial buildings and entertainment facilities. During this era major hotels and apartment hotels, apartment buildings and commercial buildings were constructed in the general neighborhood as the downtown commercial district was fully established.
In October 1924, architect Henry Bittman reported completing plans for a four-story wing addition to Securities Building to be constructed at a cost of $250,000. It was distinctive terra cotta clad extension designed in character with the original ten-story building. At the time, Washington Securities Company President, J.W. Clise stated that five more four-story units would be built elsewhere on the block with the intension of later adding six stories to each of them to match the height of the ten-story Securities Building. The initial four-story wing was indeed added; however, the other four were not. In 1929, the Security Public Market was constructed at the north end of the block, also designed by Henry Bittman. In 1947, the additional floors were added to the 1924 wing in order to match the height of the original 1913 building. Unfortunately, portions of original terra cotta ornament and the cornice were removed in order to give it a more modern appearance.
In 1960, Charles F. Clise announced plans to build a major new wing 35-story wing on the land parcels between the Security Building and the Security Market Building. Designed by Bittman & Sanders, this project was not undertaken. In 1961, the adjacent parking garage facility was constructed and inner connected to the Security Market Building, which was heavily altered. In 1992, the highly decorative Third Avenue entry lobby underwent a fairly major rehabilitation and restoration effort designed by Bittman, Vammer, Taylor architects.
Despite some unfortunate exterior alterations this is a relatively well- preserved example of an important downtown commercial property type that dates from a particularly important period of downtown commercial development. It is a noteworthy example of early highrise commercial design and includes a well preserved and particularly elegant interior lobby space.
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| Appearance |
| Located along the entire blockfront on the sloping north side of Stewart Street between Third and Fourth Avenues, this multi-story commercial block was constructed in three major phases. The initial ten-story, 1913 wing at the NE corner of Third Avenue and Stewart Street was built as the first phase of a grand Beaux Arts design that anticipated the construction of a second duplicate wing to the north side along Third Avenue. Instead the building was expanded eastward in 1924 along Stewart Street with a three-story wing fronting Steward Street and Fourth Avenue. Eight additional stories were added to this wing in 1948.
The original 1913 wing has an irregular footprint with 87’ frontage at Third Avenue and 110’ at Steward Street. The L-shaped, eight-story shaft/cap is offset to the south and measures approx. 52’ x 110’ with an elevator corridor wing at the NW corner measuring approx. 29’ x 48.’ The 1925/1948 wing is interconnected to the original wing at the second through 10th floor levels. It is L-shaped at the 2nd and 3rd floor levels and rectangular shaped (approx. 52’x 122’) at the 4th through 10th floor levels.
The original wing exhibits a distinctive three-part vertical block façade composition and the wing addition (dominated by the 1947 tower) exhibits a similar but more minimal façade design. The original wing and the remaining portions of 1924 addition exhibit distinctive Beaux Arts style architectural elements.
The steel frame and reinforced concrete structure with foundation and basement is entirely clad with white, satin-finish, glazed terra cotta. The 1913 building as constructed incorporates fine Beaux Arts style architectural detailing and a formal entry lobby oriented toward Third Avenue indicative of the original architectural intention. At Third Avenue the base of the original wing encompasses the lower two floor levels and the third floor level of the tower. The base is accentuated by rusticated terra cotta panels and an off-set entrance bay at the north side of the façade. The entrance bay is embellished with two-story fluted columns to each side of the entry vestibule. The entry bay is capped by an ornate denticulated entablature that wraps around the façade to the first bay on Stewart Street. Originally the entry bay was further articulated by setback loggia and capped by a terra cotta balustrade at the third floor level that has been removed. The design of this element is indicative of the original plan that anticipated this entry being at the center of a much wider façade with two flanking wings. The remainder of the storefront level and base to the south is divided into three bays with ornate terra cotta clad piers, columns, column capitals and spandrels. The tall display level windows have been altered by the addition of a modern spandrel. Granite and terra cotta banding and bulkheads remain in place. Second floor level windows remain intact with ornate cast iron mullions and tripartite configuration. The Third Avenue base also includes ornate treatment at the third floor level. The façade is divided into three bays that correspond with those of the shaft within which are pairs of windows flanked by highly ornate terra cotta pilasters and surmounted by a floral decorated intermediate cornice. The end piers are further embellished with green oval medallion panels inscribed with “S” and adorned by wreaths.
The remainder of the original base at Stewart Street is similarly detailed with the exception of a second formal entry bay composed of three bays offset at what is now the south façade. This bay is slightly projected from the main façade and extends to the third floor level incorporating an ornate cornice element and a tall arched window above a secondary entryway. Two tall rectangular windows adjacent the entryway have been altered due to the introduction of modern spandrels. The design of this entry vestibule is also indicative of the original plan that anticipated a much larger building with the eastward extension of the original tower wing and a wider façade at Stewart Street.
The shaft of the original 1913 wing is divided by three enframed central bays at Third Avenue and eight bays at Stewart Street. The corner piers at Third Avenue and the westernmost bay on Stewart Street are clad with rusticated terra panels. Recessed window bays extending to the ninth floor level are capped by segmental arches (with scrolled head ornament) and separated by terra cotta clad piers and fluted spandrels. The building is capped by the tenth floor level that has the same fenestration pattern but is distinguished from the shaft by an intermediate cornice adorned with smaller green terra cotta medallions. Originally the cap included a highly ornate terra cotta cornice with large elaborate terra cotta corner medallions. That distinctive element has been removed and replaced with a simple unadorned parapet cap, possibly to unify it with the adjacent tower addition.
The base of the adjacent and interconnected 1947 tower was constructed in 1924 with matching floor plates, a similar fenestration pattern and exhibits more elaborate terra cotta detailing than the newer tower/shaft above. The terra cotta cladding is rusticated, spandrels are decorated and most of the window bays include terra cotta mullions. Granite bulkheads remain in place. The facades are divided into four bays at Stewart Street and six bays at Fourth Avenue. The Fourth Avenue façade also includes more terra cotta ornamentation and subtle details indicative of an anticipated future addition to the north. The northern three bays are slightly recessed (and were originally capped by an ornate open balustrade) that with the addition of three bays would function as the central entry bay of a wider façade with two flanking wings, similar to the Third Avenue façade. An articulated parapet wall and the ornate balustrade above the third floor windows were removed with the addition of the shaft in 1947. The bay spacing of the shaft corresponds with that of the 1924 base. The flush terra cotta cladding, trim and spandrels are unadorned. The pier spacing and window bays on Stewart Street are significantly wider that those of the 1913 shaft. While the terra cotta cladding, floor plates, window heads and intermediate cornices all align, the newer facade strongly contrasts with the older adjacent façade due to the greater bay spacing and wider bands of windows within each bay. The two facades are unified by the continuous intermediate cornices and the simple unadorned parapet cap that was installed at the 1913 wing to modernize its appearance.
For the most part all original upper floor windows [primarily double-hung wooden in the shaft and third floor level and tripartite at the second floor level] remain in place. Storefront and display windows have been slightly modified and modernized but remain partly in place. The greatest exterior alteration in addition to the removal of the balustrade at Third Avenue is the installation of a modern stainless steel and aluminum canopy that wraps the entire Third Avenue storefront and SW corner of the 1913 wing. New mahogany and bronze inset doors flanked by (restored?) ornate fluted and capped mahogany pillars and green marble surrounds were added to the Third Avenue entry as part of a major lobby restoration project in 1992. Similar doors and marble surrounds were also added to the Stewart Street entry vestibule.
The highly decorative Third Avenue entry lobby underwent a fairly major rehabilitation and restoration effort in 1992. It is a particularly distinctive lobby embellished with Classical-inspired decorative motifs. The lobby pillars are entirely clad with a cream color Mexican onyx highlighted with red and yellow veins above green (Vermont) marble bases. Floors are finished with a polychromatic (blue/green/yellow/cream) mixture of highly distinctive Venetian glass mosaic tile cut in small irregular squares. Elaborately decorated elevator doors with ornate sand cast surrounds and original circular floor indicators are in place. An ornate plaster ceiling with elaborate coved details includes three original skylight openings with original sand cast ironwork details. New stained glass panels in character with the space and with artificial lighting above have been installed as have been period reproduction pendent and sconce light fixtures. Original restored and reproduction mahogany window and door trim, new marble and mahogany panels and green terrazzo flooring at the Stewart Street entryway have also been introduced. The new work is in character with the restored historic features which had been covered over or altered due to remodeling efforts in the 1960s.
Interior stairwells within the 1913 wing exhibit distinctive white Alaskan marble and ornate cast iron handrails. With the exception of the lobby and stairwells, there do not appear to be any other intact or architecturally significant interior building features, finishes or public spaces. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Terra cotta |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat with Parapet |
Roof Material(s): |
Unknown |
| Building Type: |
Commercial/Trade - Professional |
Plan: |
Irregular |
| Structural System: |
Concrete - Poured |
No. of Stories: |
ten |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Community Planning/Development |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Interior: |
Intact |
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Storefront: |
Slight |
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Changes to Windows: |
Slight |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Slight |
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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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Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ed. Shaping Seattle Architecture, A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
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Seattle Inventory Field Form, Office of Urban Conservation, 1979.
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Aldredge, Lydia. Impressions of Imagination: Terra Cotta Seattle, Allied Arts of Seattle, 1986.
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"Million-Dollar Block Planned" Seattle P.I. March 21, 1912.
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'Quarter Million Dollar Building Addition Planned" Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, October 31, 1924.
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"Out with the new,in with the old" Daily Journal of Commerce, July 8, 1992.
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Seattle Monorail Greenline EIS - Historic Resource Form prepared by ENTRIX (2003).
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