Seattle Historical Sites

This property is significant through due to its architectural quality and intactness. It is an excellent example of mid-20th twentieth century Modern design and retains many of its original features, including: windows, signage, small massing, and setback.

This commercial property is located west of Columbia City in South Seattle. It was constructed around 1947. By 1948, Lakewood Sport Shop occupied the building. It was vacant for a period in 1951;, but, from 1953 through 1969, the property was occupied by Seward Park Realty. Today, it operates as Jeffrey Taylor State Farm Insurance Company.

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 19th 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 19th 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 and the influx of defense workers to nearby Boeing and the Duwamish shipyards.