Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 1800 8th AVE / Parcel ID 066000705 / Inv #

Historic Name: Bonair Apartments (1808-12 8th Avenue) Common Name: Ray and Bonair Apartments (1800 8th Avenue) Style: Commercial, Beaux Arts - American Renaissance Neighborhood: Denny Triangle Built By: Year Built: 1925   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). This building was designed by architect Charles Haynes as an “Apartment Building for Amelia Hemrich, according to drawings from July 8, 1924. (Amelia Hemrich is presumably a member of the Hemrich family, long associated with beer brewing in Seattle. The family commissioned several brewery buildings, completed in the 1900s, including one originally located at 1275 Mercer, but demolished for the construction of the 1929 Kenworth Motor Company Building, in the Cascade neighborhood). Known as the Bonair Apartments, this apartment building was completed in 1925. In 1936, a painted sign on the east wall advertised: “BONAIR APTS. 2 ROOM SUITES FURNISHED AND UNFURNISHED.” A “café” was also housed in the eastern storefront, according to the same photo from 1936. In general, the building, which was renovated along with the neighboring Ray Apartments in the early 1990s by Kovalenko Hale Architects, has retained a high level of historic integrity. Windows have been replaced in kind and at least two of the storefronts appear to be surprisingly intact. The building is notable for its terra cotta trim and ornamentation. Charles Haynes established the architectural office of Haynes and Cantin in Seattle in 1907. He formed partnerships with several other architects, both in Seattle and in Aberdeen, Washington. He was the official architect for the Hunter Tract Improvement Company and many examples of his residential work, mainly from the 1910s, can be seen in the Mt. Baker area, especially along Cascadia Avenue. He was also the architect of the former Butterworth Mortuary (1922) on Capitol Hill and of the Narada Apartments (1925) at 25 W. Highland Drive. In general, he was responsible for single family residences, apartment buildings and commercial buildings in Seattle   Appearance This is a five story apartment building, located mid-block along 8th Avenue, between Stewart and Howell Streets. It has a concrete basement level and its footprint is 60 feet by 64 feet. The original exterior structure is concrete, which is clad in terra cotta and brick on the only façade, which is set along 8th Avenue. The original interior structure was a combination of steel and wood beams, as well as wood posts. The facade is clad in cream colored terra cotta at the ground level, with, at the upper levels, brick veneer, adorned by terra cotta and cast stone trim. The terra cotta cladding is enhanced by delicate ornamentation throughout. At the ground level, there are three storefronts, each with three sets of vertical transom lites overhead, while the fourth, narrow bay to the east is taken up by an arched entry. The original design for the storefronts consists of angled storefront glazing to each side of a recessed glass door, which had its own plate glass transom. At least two, if not three, of the storefronts seem to be intact, although, on a recent visit, the west storefront seemed to be undergoing some repair, in addition to major changes. At the ground level, cream colored terra cotta pilasters cover the concrete structural piers behind them and are set to each side of the glazed storefronts. The pilasters also frame the arched entryway, which is entered by original marble steps. Each pilaster has a signature capital: the face of the capital consists of a trapezoid that flares out toward the top, and is adorned with an ornamental cartouche, typical of the Beaux Arts. The terra cotta cladding above the pilasters also includes square shapes, each adorned with an individual flower motif. At the upper levels, the six bays do not necessarily line up with the bays at the ground level. Typical upper level bays consist of wide openings with terra cotta sills and each containing a pair of six over one, double-hung windows. This configuration appears at the first, second and sixth bays counting from the west. At each floor, at the fourth bay, there is a narrower, single double-hung window. According to original design drawings, these windows were originally intended to let out onto a fire escape. To each side of the fire escape window, at bays three and five, are two single, double hung-windows. These are slightly squatter than all the other windows, which have the same length. There a simple “belt-courses,” terra cotta bands, which are set above the fourth floor and above the fifth floor, below the top of the parapet. At both levels, ornamental cartouches, set to each side of the end bays, punctuate the terra cotta bands. Another interesting and original feature of the building is the distinctive partially glazed entry door. The top of the glazing is slightly arched. It is divided in both the vertical and horizontal direction and has smaller lites at the top and bottom of an oblong shape.

Detail for 1800 8th AVE / Parcel ID 066000705 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: LR, INV Cladding(s): Brick, Concrete, Metal, Stone - Cast, Terra cotta Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Domestic - Multiple Family Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Mixed No. of Stories: five Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Community Planning/Development Integrity Changes to Windows: Slight Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Storefront: Slight Major Bibliographic References City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records. Baist Map of 1908 and 1912 King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972. M. Sheridan, “Narada Apartments, 25 W. Highland Drive,” “Historic Property Inventory Report,” City of Seattle Historic Neighborhood Inventory Database. 25 November 2003. Spencer Howard and Susan S. Seykota, “3438 Cascadia Avenue South,”“Historic Property Inventory Report,” City of Seattle Historic Neighborhood Inventory Database. October 30, 2003 ( as well as other reports on other houses along Cascadia Avenue). M. Sheridan, “Butterworth Mortuary,” “Historic Property Inventory Report,” City of Seattle Historic Neighborhood Inventory Database. No date? Shaping Seattle Architecture, p 344 (Short biographical entry by KHK, Kate Krafft) + Dennis Andersen on “Breitung and Buchinger.”

Photo collection for 1800 8th AVE / Parcel ID 066000705 / Inv #

Photo taken Feb 24, 2006 Photo taken Feb 24, 2006