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Summary for 1515 BROADWAY / Parcel ID 600300-0510 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: unknown Common Name: Seattle central Community College
Style: Commercial Neighborhood: Pike/Pine
Built By: Year Built: 1912
 
Significance
This simple masonry building was built in 1912; it is typical of those built in Seatle neighborhoods to house small businesses.  Since it is of masonry construction, it may have had an auto-related use. It now houses a restaurant and community college offices.  

The Pike/Pine/Broadway vicinity became Seattle’s Auto Row shortly after the first automobile was offered for sale here in 1905.  For the next twenty years virtually all local auto dealers and numerous auto-related businesses were located here.  Nearly every building housed at least one dealership, service garage, parts dealer, paint shop or similar business.  “Auto Row” thrived with the strong economy of the 1920s.   However, the Great Depression of the 1930s led to general stagnation, and the neighborhood changed significantly after World War II.  Broadway High School closed in 1946, replaced by Edison Technical School, a vocational training institution. As the suburbs grew, most auto dealerships moved away from the congested city locations, although many parts dealers and service businesses remained.   The 1980s brought new development, as people returned to live in city neighborhoods.  Seattle Central Community College, the successor to Edison, demolished and replaced most of the old high school buildings in the 1970s.  In the past ten years the Pike/Pine corridor has developed as a residential and entertainment center with numerous apartments and businesses in new and renovated buildings like this one. 
 

 
Appearance
This simple one-story masonry building is faced with dark red brick with heavy stucco and tile around the storefronts.  It has three bays with modernized display windows with large transoms.  There are two store entires, now modernized. 

Detail for 1515 BROADWAY / Parcel ID 600300-0510 / Inv # 0

Status: No - Altered
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick, Stucco Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Unknown
Building Type: Unknown Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Masonry - Unreinforced No. of Stories: one
Unit Theme(s): Commerce
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Windows: Moderate
Changes to Original Cladding: Moderate
Major Bibliographic References
Williams, Jacqueline B. The Hill with a Future: Seattle's Capitol Hill 1900-1946. Seattle: CPK Ink, 2001.
King County Assessor Property Characteristics Report, database at http://www5.metrokc.gov/ --parcel locator

Photo collection for 1515 BROADWAY / Parcel ID 600300-0510 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Jul 12, 2010
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