| Historic Name: |
Pittsburgh Apartments |
Common Name: |
Pittsburgh Apartments |
| Style: |
Tudor |
Neighborhood: |
Queen Anne |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1907 |
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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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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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This is an outstanding example of early apartment development, dating from 1907. It was during this decade that apartments mushroomed on Queen Anne, to accommodate the vast influx of new arrivals, many of whom were young singles. In the years following the 1897 Klondike gold rush the city grew dramatically, doubling doubling between 1890 and 1900 and nearly tripling again by 1910, to 237,194. Also in this period (1903-11) the western half of Denny Hill to the south was sluiced into Elliott Bay, opening up access to Queen Anne. The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition also attracted apartment development, as people anticipated the large number of visitors, many traveling some distance to stay for weeks or months.
This ornate building is a fine example of the design attention paid to many of these early buildings. Adjoining this structure are two other buildings, also called The Pittsburgh, at 117-123 John Street. Although this one does not resemble the other two, they were built in the same year and have the same ownership. The buidling appears to be intact, with no apparent exterior changes. Some interior changes, including new cabinetry, were made in 1932 by architects Hancock and Lockman, for owner F. W. Coleman. A first floor space, evidently used as an office, was converted to apartments in 1955 by architect Ibsen Nelsen. A garage was also added on the rear.
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| Appearance |
| This apartment complex has the appearance of two buildings separated by a narrow courtyard, but the two wings sit on a common foundation visible at the rear. The front (east) façade has two three-sided three-story bays. An elaborate gateway connects the two wings; the gateway has an arch with an acanthus keystone, egg-and-dart capitals and ball finials. The building has red brick cladding with terra cotta on the daylight basement, as well as the quoins, and on the bays, the wide window surrounds, and a cornice between the second and third floors. The inside of the courtyard has buff brick cladding (for more light) with cast stone cornices and window sills. Windows are one-over-one wood sash. |
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