Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 921 11th AVE / Parcel ID 664190-0000 / Inv #

Historic Name: Park Court Common Name: Park Court Style: Colonial - Georgian Revival Neighborhood: Capitol Hill Built By: Year Built: 1922   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 is a good example of the luxury apartment building that had begun to appear in Seattle by the early 1920s, serving people who had the money to live in either a house or a residential hotel, but who preferred the greater freedom and privacy of an apartment. As in more urban cities, these wealthier people wanted amenities they would expect in a house, such as spacious rooms, fireplaces, separate dining rooms and sunrooms and quarters for a maid. The Park Court provided all of these, in a tranquil setting near Volunteer Park. The building is carefully designed to fit in with the surrounding large homes. The architect, George Wellington Stoddard (1896-1967) entered into partnership with his father, Lewis M. Stoddard, following his graduation from the University of Illinois. This would have been one of his earlier designs. Following his father’s death in 1929, he practiced alone until 1955, and then practiced in partnership with Francis Huggard. He designed larger homes as well as apartment buildings, clinics, banks and other commercial structures. His best known works are Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center (1947) and the Green Lake Aqua Theater (1950).   Appearance This three-story building has an irregular plan, shaped like an E on the front façade with a one-room wide bay projecting on each side of the entry court. It is clad with red brick with a prominent belt course below the third floor windows and a cornice above them. Brick quoins are at the corners and the foundation level is clad with cast stone. The parapet is matched by distinctive balustrades on the projecting bays; the balusters appear to have been replaced, with simpler ones rather than the original turned balusters. Windows are six-over-six leaded double-hung sash, mostly in groups of two or three. Many rear windows have newer sash. Halfway back on each side elevation is a recessed open stairwell. The formal landscaping with hedges and shrubs emphasized the overall formality of the building.

Detail for 921 11th AVE / Parcel ID 664190-0000 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Brick, Stucco Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Unknown Building Type: Domestic - Multiple Family Plan: E-Shaped Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: three Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Community Planning/Development Integrity Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Changes to Windows: Slight Changes to Plan: Intact Major Bibliographic References Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996. Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, ed. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994. King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972. City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.

Photo collection for 921 11th AVE / Parcel ID 664190-0000 / Inv #

Photo taken Mar 06, 2006 Photo taken Mar 06, 2006