Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 312 9th AVE / Parcel ID 1986200165 / Inv #

Historic Name: "Light Manufacturing Building for Coolidge and Andrews" Common Name: Krekow Jennings Inc, General Contractors Style: Commercial, Other - Utilitarian Neighborhood: South Lake Union Built By: Year Built: 1928   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). This building was designed as a “light manufacturing building for Coolidge and Andrews” by the architecture firm of McNight and Witherspoon. Original design drawings date from October 22, 1928, which suggests that the building was probably completed at the very end of 1928 or in 1929. King County Tax Assessor Records, however, give a date of 1926, which may be an error, while current King County Property Reports give a date of 1945. While subsequent changes may have been made in 1945, the present building façade is similar enough to the design shown in the 1928 drawings, so that it seems most likely that the building was first erected around 1928. The only really obvious difference between the original design as drawn and the current façade is that the garage door opening appears to have had a series of four tall doors, each with either recessed paneling or glazing below and three pairs of lights (running vertically) above. In addition, the drawing shows that the parapet was slightly raised, but a photograph from 1936 shows it as it is today, so perhaps the building never had a raised parapet. Finally, the southern bay was designed without a central door, but again the 1936 photograph shows it in place. While the brick pattern in the parapet is not shown in the drawing, it is visible in the photograph. All other details, down to the number and configuration of clerestory window panes is the same as it appears today. This is a simple, but carefully detailed early warehouse building, that has retained a very significant amount of the original detailing of its main façade, as it was built early on. It is typical of early warehouse buildings from the 1920s and early 1930s found in the South Lake Union neighborhood   Appearance 312 9th Ave North is located mid-block on the eastern side of 9th Ave North, between Harrison and Thomas Streets. It is rectangular in plan, sixty feet by one hundred and twenty feet, with the shorter dimension parallel to 9th Avenue North and is one story in height. It has a flat roof, originally designed with skylights, as well a parapet. The exterior walls appear to be mainly of concrete block, while the main façade has a veneer of rug brick with cast-stone or concrete trim. The building has one main, street facing elevation in mottled shades of brown, rug brick along 9th Avenue North. Engaged piers divide the façade into three bays, with storefront or other openings set between the piers. As is typical with similar warehouse buildings in the South Lake Union area, the piers, as expressed on the façade, have cast-stone or concrete bases, brick shafts and flat, cast-stone capitals. The face of the each capital is distinguished by a rectangle in cast-stone, with a smaller rectangle, inset within it (very similar to the capitals of 427 9th Avenue North). The most northern bay consists of a garage door opening, followed by a somewhat narrow expanse of storefront, with a multi-pane clerestory/transom. The central bay, which follows, is symmetrically composed, with a central door with clerestory, consisting of two horizontal rows of three lights. This is flanked by storefront, surmounted by two horizontal rows of six over six lights at the clerestory level. The third bay consists of a similar configuration of central door, flanking storefront and clerestory. Storefronts are typically set above low brick wall with protruding brick sills. Another distinctive feature of the façade is the pattern of the darker brickwork around the parapet level. Smaller rectangles in dark brick define a very large rectangle across the top of the façade. At the center of this large rectangle, darker bricks also define a lozenge shape, elongated in the horizontal direction. V-shapes, which echo part of the lozenge shape, flank it to each side. The V-shapes are repeated every few feet across the façade, while the arms of the angled shapes become smaller, as they recede away from the center of the façade.

Detail for 312 9th AVE / Parcel ID 1986200165 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: INV Cladding(s): Brick, Concrete, Stone - Cast Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Warehouse Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Concrete - Poured No. of Stories: one Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Manufacturing/Industry Integrity Changes to Original Cladding: Slight Storefront: Slight Changes to Plan: Intact Major Bibliographic References King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972. Drawings, Microfiche Files, Department of Planning and Development.

Photo collection for 312 9th AVE / Parcel ID 1986200165 / Inv #

Photo taken Feb 10, 2005