| Historic Name: |
Buckner-Weatherby Co. |
Common Name: |
Guardina Securtiy |
| Style: |
Other - Industrial, Vernacular |
Neighborhood: |
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| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1927 |
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| Significance |
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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 industrial warehouse was designed and constructed in 1927 by building contractor Charles A. White for the Buckner-Woodward Co. Inc., manufacturer of woodworking machinery. This is a good example of a small industrial manufacturing warehouse of the early 20th century. Located in the former Seattle tidelands area, the building is associated with the final phase of the historic era of development of the area (Post World War I up to 1930) as a transportation-related industrial manufacturing and commercial warehouse district. The tidelands were filled through a series of successive grading and fill projects between 1895 and 1929, creating developable land that made the expansion of railroad and port facilities possible and fostering the development of the area for commercial use that supported significant economic progress of the city in the early 20th century. Carl D. Buckner was the president and manager of the Buckner-Woodward firm, which by 1938 had become the Buckner-Weatherby Co. In 1938, the building served as the Buckner-Weatherby offices and saw shop, including a warehouse and a retail display area near the front windows. Also at that time, the building included many offices for manufacturing agents and the firm shared the building offices with numerous tenants representing a variety of industrial products, including the NW Diesel Sales Co., Olympic Oil Well equipment company and Sterling Electric motors. The Buckner-Weatherby company continued in this building until at least 1958, and continued leasing space to other manufacturing agents during these years. Carl D. Buckner sold the building in 1965. Although it continued as a manufacturing facility, tenant uses expanded to include more wholesale distribution and import firms. In 1978 the Northwest College of Goldsmithing was a tenant. Guardian Security Systems, the current occupant, renovated the building for office use in 1995, and may have occupied the building earlier.
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| Appearance |
| The building was originally configured on the interior as a single story with a 19’ 4” ceiling height to provide ample light and flexible space for production facilities. A mezzanine was added later and eventually converted to a complete second story, which was a typical adaptation of such flexible industrial facilities as production methods and building uses changed over time. This two-story warehouse measures 60 feet wide and 148 feet deep, has a flat roof with a parapet and is clad in the original brick veneer. The primary east façade is characterized by the staggered three-part parapet and the corresponding window groupings. The windows are configured as three large industrial steel sash windows of 32 lights at the first story and three groups of four vertical industrial steel sash windows, each of six lights, at the second story. Although historic photos and data indicate the first-story windows were plate glass in 1937, the current industrial steel sash windows, which were installed during renovations in 1995, are quite compatible with the character of the building and the second story windows. The windows on the second story appear the same as in the historic 1937 photograph. Sources: “Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Project, Vol. 3: Specialized Technical Information,” Seattle, WA: Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District. August, 1996. |
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