Seattle Historical Sites

Remo Borracchini’s Bakery is significant due to its association with the Borracchini family and Seattle’s Italian American community. It reflects the strong Italian American economic and social presence in Garlic Gulch and the Rainier Valley. The commercial building also illustrates the significance of Rainier Avenue as the principal transportation and commercial corridor uniting the residential neighborhoods of South Seattle.

This commercial property is located at the northern end of Rainier Valley in the City Garden’s Addition, near the center of Garlic Gulch. The property was constructed in 1939 for the Ginger Bell Bakery, owned by the Borracchini family. In addition to being a bakery, the building was also used as office space. The Polk Directories show that, from 1956 through 1962, the offices of Arthur J. Mahoney, an engineer, and Douglas W. Vicary, an industrial designer, were located in the building. While the Ginger Bell Bakery had used the building since its construction, the building was officially purchased in 1962 by Angelo Borracchini.

The Borracchinis were immigrants from Tuscany and have worked as bakers in the Beacon Hill and northern Rainier Valley area since the early 1920s. The Borracchini family’s bakery began in the early 1920s as the International French Bakery in the basement of Mario Borracchini’s house at 1707 20^th Avenue South, which is no longer extant.  The bakery later became the Ginger Bell Bakery and moved to its current location in 1939. Dino, Angelo, and Remo were the principal operators of the business at this time. Remo Borracchini began running the family business in 1965; and, today, it operates as Borracchini’s Bakery and Mediterranean Market.

Substantial residential and commercial development in South Seattle and the Rainier Valley occurred when a transportation corridor connecting the Rainier Valley to downtown and Seattle’s industrial district was constructed along Rainier Avenue during the late nineteenth century. Development in the valley was facilitated by logging during the 1880s, the operation of the Rainier Valley Electric Railway in the 1890s, and the Jackson and Dearborn Street re-grades in the 1900s. Milling was the primary commercial industry during the last part of the nineteenth century although some agricultural activity existed. As residential development increased, Rainier Avenue gradually became the principal commercial corridor connecting the residential neighborhoods of South Seattle to downtown, the International District, and Seattle’s industrial districts. World War II brought additional building growth related to the wartime industry, as well as the influx of defense workers to nearby Boeing and the Duwamish shipyards. 

Early Italian migrants moved to the Pacific Northwest to work at the coal mines in Renton, Newcastle, and Black Diamond. Once settled, Italian Americans began operating farms, including Fred Marino and Joe Desimone, who were involved in organizing the Pike Place Market. During the growth period from 1900 to 1910, additional Italian migrants moved to Seattle for jobs in building and road construction, as well as the city’s re-grading activities. During this period, the Italian American population grew, and the 1910 census documented approximately 45 percent of Italian Seattleites who lived in south downtown and north Rainer Valley. North Rainer Valley and north Beacon Hill became known as “Garlic Gulch,” and the community was centered on Rainier Avenue, between Massachusetts and Atlantic Streets. This block was the principal commercial area, while residences and institutional buildings, such as Colman School, Mount Virgin Roman Catholic Church, and St. Peter’s Catholic Church, were located southward on Rainier Avenue, as well as in the nearby Beacon Hill and Mount Baker neighborhoods.

This residence reflects the strong Italian American presence in Beacon Hill and North Rainier Valley, as well as the significant social and economic presence of the Borracchini family.

Constructed in 1939, this Spanish Revival retail commercial building is located at the northern end of Rainier Valley. The street-level lot is located between South College and South Bayview Streets and was platted for the City Gardens Addition. The large, two-story building faces northeast towards Rainier Avenue while the primary entrance is on the north elevation. The building has a square floor plan, poured concrete foundation, and a stucco-styled veneer. The first story is defined by a pent roof with an enclosed porch on the front and a one-story arched arcade along the north elevation. The principal hipped deck roof has boxed, overhanging eaves. The slopes of both the pent and hip roofs are covered in red clay tiles. The fenestration varies throughout the building, with in-filled small arched windows along the inside of the north arcade and aluminum windows throughout the rest of the building. The aluminum windows along the second story have wooden false shutters and shallow window boxes. Large, recessed archways along the second story of the north elevation mirror the arches of the arcade directly below. This is an excellent example of the Spanish Revival style used for a retail commercial building in the Rainier Valley. While some modifications are evident, the building retains many of its original Spanish Revival features and continues to reflect its historical style and use.