Seattle Historical Sites

Engineer: Office of the Chief Engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad, Portland, Oregon.

Although it has lost some integrity, the building is of architectural significance, because of its façade composition and original elements, such as the fluted cast stone pilasters and stepped parapet. Original construction drawings from January 1931 indicate that this building was constructed as a Warehouse for the Pacific Iron & Metal Company. It still is owned and operated by the same company. The drawings were produced by the Office of the Chief Engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad in Portland, Oregon. The Union Pacific Railroad owned the building until 1941. Over time, other lesser structures were added to the lot, but this is the only building with any architectural presence.

This building is situated on larger lot, set along the east side of 4^th Avenue South between Walker and Lander Streets.  The building is two stories with a basement level. It has a rectangular plan. Its original structure includes concrete exterior walls and an interior grid of concrete columns. It has one elevation of note, which is the 4^th Avenue South façade.

The symmetrical façade faces west. It is marked by engaged cast stone pilasters, which divide the façade into five bays. The pilasters are characterized by a fluted shaft, which sits on a rectangular base, as well as simple caps, which include a cast stone rectangle or square, topped by a curved element that ties into the top of the parapet, at whatever height the parapet happens to be. The stepped parapet is also an important feature of the facade. The parapet steps up from the lower and outer bays at each end of the façade to the highest and central bay. This means that the pilasters vary somewhat in height, as do the capitals, from the end of the façade to the central bay.

Based on original drawings, key architectural elements of the façade, including its composition, have been retained. The two bays to each side of the central bay each included a wide opening at the first level, with three window openings at the second level. This is basically still the case. On the other hand, originally, each wide opening was designed with what appears have been large wood double doors, which had multi-pane glazing at their top half. Not surprisingly, there is no sign of these doors. At the upper level, all five bays each had three window openings with multi-pane steel sash.  The steel sash at all of the top level windows has been replaced. Also, the three top level windows of the central bay, as well as those in the two window openings to the south have been elongated. In each case, the top part of the original window is marked by what appears to be a concrete rectangular infill.

The original multi-pane windows are still visible in the three lower level windows of north end bay and in the three lower windows of the central bay.

The south elevation, not as important as the main façade, retains many of it original window openings, which were numerous. Some of the original steel sash remains, while, in other cases, the openings and glazing have been modified in the same manner as the elongated window openings on the main façade.