| Historic Name: |
Wm. J Steinert Apartment House |
Common Name: |
The Steinert |
| Style: |
Spanish - Eclectic |
Neighborhood: |
Fremont |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1926 |
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| Significance |
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The Steinert Apartment Building is a distinctive and well-preserved small apartment house. It is one of a group of extant similar scale apartment buildings constructed in Fremont during the late 1920s. It was developed by William J. Steinert, a successful attorney who served for 17 years on the Washington State Supreme Court. It was designed by John A. Creutzer and exhibits a eclectic mix of Classical and Spanish Eclectic design elements. Mr. Creutzer prepared nine sheets of drawings entitled “Apartment House for Wm. J. Steinert, Esq.” dated Jan. 16, 1924; the building was constructed under permit #231171 believed to have been issued shortly thereafter. Creutzer also appears to have designed the adjacent garage building, which was constructed under a separate permit (#234485) also issued in 1924. William J. Steinert (ca. 1881-1962) was a native of Versailles, Kentucky who settled in Seattle in 1910. He had earned an undergraduate degree from Central University in Richmond, Kentucky followed a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1905. Prior to arriving in Seattle, he practiced law in Louisville, Kentucky. During World War I, he served as deputy King County prosecutor. He was elected to King County Superior Court in 1926 and reelected for a four-year term in 1928. Steinert was appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court by Governor Roland H. Hartley in 1932 and served on the Court until 1949; he was the Chief Justice of the Court between 1936 and 1938. He married Marian Augusta Miller in 1914; they are known to have resided at this apartment house for a period; however, he was living in Magnolia at the time of his death. (Obituary: Seattle Times January 21, 1962) John Alfred Creutzer was a native of Sweden who immigrated to the United States with his family as a child. After spending his childhood and starting his professional career in Minnesota, he migrated west, first moving to Spokane and eventually settling in Seattle in 1906. Creutzer initially worked as an architect and construction supervisor in association with Seattle contractors Henderson Ryan and Alexander Pearson, as well as taking on independent design commissions. A notable early work by Creutzer is the Swedish Tabernacle (c. 1906). Creutzer’s most significant commission was the Medical Dental Building (c. 1924-25; City of Seattle Landmark), which he designed in association with Seattle architect A. H. Albertson. Creutzer also designed a number of smaller commercial retail buildings, including the Melrose Building in the Pike-Pine neighborhood (c. 1915, @ 301 E. Pine St.), a one-story terra-cotta clad building currently occupied by the Crocodile Café in Belltown (c. 1925, @ 2200 Second Ave.) and the Colony Club Building (1928 @ 1923 Fifth Ave.). Creutzer also designed domestic buildings, including single family residences and apartment house/hotels. Numerous extant examples of the latter building type that were designed by Creutzer are located in neighborhoods throughout the city including First Hill, Capitol Hill, Denny Regrade, Ravenna and University District. Apartment houses among this group include the Park Vista Apartments (c. 1928, @ 5810 Cowen Pl.), and the El Rio Apartment Hotel (c. 1929; NRHP) as well as the Steinert Apartments. Creutzer became a member of the Washington State Chapter of the AIA in the final years of his practice. He died from a fatal heart attack at the age of 55 on August 23, 1929 (obit. Washington State Architect 9/1/1929). [Biographical info primarily provided by Susan Boyle & Mimi Sheridan]
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| Appearance |
| [Edgemont Add] Located mid-block on the east side of Woodland Park Ave. N with the façade oriented to the west. Well-preserved, two-story, wood-frame, brick veneer clad, five-unit apartment house. Measures approx. 32’ x 47’ with a concrete foundation and full basement level. Symmetrical form with central entry porch w/ flat roof and open balcony. Exhibits distinctive mix of Classical Revival and Spanish Eclectic design elements: prominent central stepped parapet accentuated by cast stone; ornate bracketed entablature/cornice (sheet metal) at the parapet line of the façade above second floor windows; projecting brick entry porch with prominent entablature at roof line supported by sets of three Doric columns (wooden) at each corner supported on low brick walls/piers; brick veneer cladding laid in a common bond. Original 1/1 double hung windows on all elevations remain in place. Original entry door (with historic painted “`Steinert” signage) and sidelights remain in place. Concrete daylight basement level at base of building. An intact detached one-story, six-car garage designed in character with the apartment house is located adjacent to the east side of the complex. Small entry vestibule and central stairwell at interior of entrance. The character and condition of the interior is not known. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Brick - Common Bond |
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: |
two |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Politics/Government/Law |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Interior: |
Unknown |
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Other: |
Moderate |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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Architects file cards, Seattle Department of Neighborhood, Historic Preservation Program.
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King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.
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City of Seattle DPD Microfilm Records.
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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1910-1940.
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