| Historic Name: |
Camelot Apartments |
Common Name: |
Camelot Apartments |
| Style: |
Italian - Italian Renaissance |
Neighborhood: |
Fremont |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1928 |
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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 brick apartment block is distinguished by its elegant arcaded entry reminiscent of an Italian villa. It has 19 apartments, most with 3-4 rooms, averaging 850 square feet. Tax assessor records form 1937 indicate that the building was well equipped, with soundproof maple-oak floors, central refrigeration, a sprinkler system and incinerators. The exterior remains very intact. The building was designed in 1920 (permit #282130) by a prominent apartment architect, Earl W. Morrison, for Andrew G. Smith. Morrison first opened a practice in in Spokane, coming to Seattle just in time to take advantage of the city’s apartment building boom. He designed the Olive Tower Apartments (1928-29), 1223 Spring Street and the Textile Tower (1930-31).
This is a particularly elegant 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. The Phinney Ridge/Woodland Park area was a popular one for apartments, with the open space of the park and easy streetcar access to downtown. Buildings like this one often used fine materials and detailing to reduce the impact of their size in the basically residential area.
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| Appearance |
| This brick apartment block is of wood frame construction with red brick veneer cladding. The entry, on the north façade, is the most notable feature, with an Italian-style arcade with three arches of glazed cream-colored terra cotta. Windows are intact with multipane leaded sash. On the front façade the two outer bays have three part windows with six-over-one double hung sash flanking a ten-over-one central window. Other windows are six-over-one, arranged 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: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
three |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Community Planning/Development |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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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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