| Historic Name: |
Faneuil Hall |
Common Name: |
Faneuil Hall |
| Style: |
Tudor |
Neighborhood: |
Capitol Hill |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
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| Significance |
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This is one of numerous apartments on First Hill and Capitol Hill developed by builder John S. Hudson, who typically named his buildings after New England sites and history, such as Faneuil Hall, John Alden, Paul Revere, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and James Russell Lowell. Like most of his buildings, it was designed by his brother, Henry Hudson. The building is somewhat unusual for its narrow form and slanted entry, allowing it to better fit onto its site. Western Capitol Hill was a particularly popular area for apartment development because of its proximity to downtown, good transportation and views. Apartments appeared here early in the century, but proliferated even more during Seattle's 1920s construction boom. The city's population has 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.
John S. Hudson (b. 1879) developed apartments primarily on Capitol Hill and First Hill between 1923 and 1928. He came to Seattle in 1903 from his native Minnesota. He began studying architecture in 1910 and obtained his architecture license in 1921, but he worked primarily as a developer. He is known to have been involved with at least a dozen buildings. The names of many of his buildings refer to New England—the John Alden, Paul Revere, John Winthrop, Hudson Arms, Lexington-Concord, Faneuil Hall, Lowell and Emerson. Others are the Hudson Arms, Chasselton, Northcliffe, Miramar, Loleta, Roxbury, Rhododendron and Ruth Court (now Unity Court). His brother Harry Hudson designed many of these buildings.
Harry E. Hudson primarily did designs for his brother, John Hudson, one of the major apartment developers in the Capitol Hill/First Hill area. The Hudsons were from the Northeast, and named their buildings after the heroes of New England history and literature. Not coincidentally, the name of the contractor was Colonial Investment Company. Hudson’s major works are the adjacent high-rise buildings on First Hill, the Lowell and the Emerson (1928). Nearby are the Paul Revere (1924), the John Alden (1924), the John Winthrop (1925), and Faneuil Hall (1928). In Belltown is the twin Lexington-Concord building. He also designed a house for James A. Gibbs, his brother’s development partner in the firm Gibbs and Hudson. The terra cotta-clad house, a Seattle historic landmark located on Queen Anne hill, was reportedly modeled after the Albert Rhodes mansion on Capitol Hill, designed by A. W. Gould.
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| Appearance |
| This building is essentially a box of reinforced concrete, but the entry has been angled to meet the curve of Olive Way; the east side has a light well not visible from the front. The building is clad with brownish brick with extensive terra cotta ornamentation, including windows surrounds on the first floor and belt courses above the first and fifth stories. Terra cotta ornament in the entry bay includes a Tudor arch, window surrounds on all floors and plaques in the spandrels; medallions and plaques also mark the parapet. The south elevation, which is highly visible, is clad with stucco. Windows on the front are one-over-one dark aluminum sash; those on the south have different aluminum sash. |
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