| Historic Name: |
Park Lane Apartments |
Common Name: |
Park Lane Apartments |
| Style: |
Tudor |
Neighborhood: |
Capitol Hill |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1931 |
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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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The Park Lane was designed in 1931 by Albert A. Geiser, an architect who specialized in homes and small apartment buildings, primarily in the Queen Anne area. This is one of Geiser's larger buildings, as far as it known. The original owner was Emil Pohl. The building has 47 condominium units, averaging 575 square feet. It is unusual for its solid brick construction, as most apartment buildings of this period were wood frame covered with brick veneer. It is also notable for the large size of its garage--with 40 spaces, it provided a space for nearly every unit, unusual in such a large building. It also featured fire sprinklers, fir floors, mahogany trim and tile kitchens and baths. The 1937 Tax Assessor's data notes its elaborate lobby.
This is a typical example of the many apartment buildings constructed in the 1920s, when Seattle experienced a major construction boom. The city's population had 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. Western Capitol Hill, with its easy streetcar access to downtown, was particularly popular with developers and tenants.
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| Appearance |
| The Park Lane is four stories tall, with a partial daylight basement level due to the sloping corner site. It is of solid brick construction with an exterior of multicolored brick in shades of red and tan. It is U-shaped in plan with a narrow (12 foot wide) light well at the rear. The deeply recessed main entry, near the southwest corner, shows Tudor influence with an arched terra cotta surround and heavy oak door. However, the stairs are more Mediterranean, being of red clay tile with geometric patterns in vibrant colors. A secondary entry on the south elevation also has a Tudor arch and a heavy oak door, but the surround is of brick in a castellated design. Above this is an open staircase with arched openings on each floor. Terra cotta ornamentation includes window sills, narrow belt courses above and below the top story windows and coping on the stepped parapet. The parapet is marked by tall curved Flemish-style gables, one capping each entry bay and one near the northwest corner. The upper level is also ornamented with decorative brickwork in a large X-pattern and prominent terra cotta cartouches. Windows are 8-over-1 double-hung sash, arranged either singly or in pairs. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Brick |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat with Parapet |
Roof Material(s): |
Unknown |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Multiple Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Brick |
No. of Stories: |
four |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, ed. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
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King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.
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City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.
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