Historic Name: |
Mill and Mine Supply Company |
Common Name: |
Esquin Wine Merchants |
Style: |
Art Deco, Other - Industrial |
Neighborhood: |
Duwamish |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1930 |
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Significance |
In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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The main two-story portion of the building, with facades along Lander St, as well as 4th Avenue South, has retained its architectural integrity. On the other hand, the one-story portions of the building along Lander St, as well as on 4th Avenue South have been altered. Based on drawings from March 1930, both these parts of the building were designed by architect Earl A. Roberts as an “Office and Warehouse for the Mill and Mine Supply Company,” and completed in late 1930. On the other hand, there is a clear discrepancy with the King County Tax Assessor’s record, which gives an original construction date of 1928. In any case, Mill and Mine Supply owned the building by late 1930.
The simpler, additional bays along Lander Street appear to be a later addition. Mill and Mine Supply Company remained in the building at least through 1952, when the company commissioned structural engineer John H. Stevenson to design an interior balcony. By 1957, a major tenant was the Colyear Motor Sales Company, which hired a Los Angeles architecture firm, Heitschmidt and Thompson to make a number of alterations. These included changes to the storefronts of the lower one-story portion of the building along 4th Avenue South. The modified fourth bay seems to date from this period. Colyear Motor Sales remained in the building to at least the mid-1960s. By 1970, the building housed an auto parts business, the Genuine Auto Parts Company. In 1987, architect Martin Henry Kaplan made alterations, mainly to the interior of the building, for the Kaplan Paper Company. Based on construction drawings, the company was to occupy most of the corner portion of the building. At that time, additional skylights, not visible from the street, were probably added at the roof level. By the late 1980s, the paper company was still in the building, although renamed Barber-Ellis Kaplan Paper Company. In 2008, structural strengthening of the lower portion of the 4th Avenue façade apparently caused the overall changes to the first two bays of this portion of the building. Esquin Wine Merchants now occupies the corner retail space.
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Appearance |
This building clearly marks the southeast corner of 4th Avenue South and Lander Street. It consists of two-story, as well one-story portions. The two-story portion of the building apparently has concrete exterior walls and an interior heavy timber structure, while the lower portions have brick walls, with an exterior concrete cladding. In particular, the two-story portion of the building is a prominent feature on Lander St and on 4th Avenue South, both important thoroughfares in the Industrial District. This portion of the building, located directly on the corner of 4th Ave S and Lander St, features storefronts, original multi-pane metal sash, as well as a Zig Zag Moderne elements, including a portal on 4th Avenue South. The Lander Street façade of the two-story portion of the building consists of three bays, marked by engaged concrete piers. In lieu of a more standard capital, each pier is simply adorned at its top. The concrete pier shape is cut away at its edges to reveal a smaller rectangular form, offset from a slightly larger rectangular area, which in turn is offset from the actual edges of the pier. This design, or a variation on it, also marks the bays on the 4th Avenue South elevation. Each second floor bay has a large rectangular opening, filled with multi-pane metal sash, subdivided into three sections. The first level now has two storefront openings filled with glass block, while the corner opening has new storefront, covered by an awning. To the east of this elevation, along Lander Street, there is a series of ten repeated bays. These are lower in height, probably one story - and also separated by engaged concrete piers or pilasters. Many bays have openings that are simple service entrances with garage doors, punched into concrete walls, but there are no windows. Based on a photo from around 1940, most of these bays each originally featured a large single window opening with multi-pane glazing, with service entrances only occurring at the third and eighth bays, (counting in either direction). The 4th Avenue south façade of the two-story portion of the building has four bays. The openings at the second level are similar to those described for the Lander Street façade. The first level includes three replacement storefronts, also with a new canvas awning. The Zig Zag Moderne entry portal occurs at the second bay from the corner of Lander and 4th Avenue South. Two engaged piers, similar in design to the larger engaged piers, flank a deep and segmented Zig Zag Moderne archway. In turn the portal is flanked by thin glass sidelights. Moving south, the two-story portion of the building is followed by five one–story bays, also separated by engaged piers. The bays have been modernized, but include storefront. The second and fourth storefronts feature a recessed and glazed storefronts and entrances. They were clearly modernized at different times and are not exactly identical. |
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Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
LR, INV |
Cladding(s): |
Concrete, Glass - Glass Block |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
Roof Type(s): |
Flat with Parapet, Other |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
Building Type: |
Commercial/Trade - Warehouse |
Plan: |
Irregular |
Structural System: |
Mixed |
No. of Stories: |
two |
Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Manufacturing/Industry, Transportation |
Integrity |
Changes to Plan: |
Moderate |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Slight |
Changes to Windows: |
Moderate |
Storefront: |
Moderate |
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Major Bibliographic References |
King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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Drawings, Microfiche Files, Department of Planning and Development.
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King County Assessor Property Characteristics Report, database at http://www5.metrokc.gov/ --parcel locator
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