| Historic Name: |
Alaska Copper & Brass Co. |
Common Name: |
Alaska Copper & Brass Co. |
| Style: |
Modern - International Style |
Neighborhood: |
Duwamish |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1953 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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Plat: Seattle Tidelands Suppl, Plat
273, Blocks: 1 & 2, Lot: Portion
Engineer: Marshall & Barr
The Modernist two-story
office building and the original warehouse behind it were built between 1952
and 1953. This is a well-designed International Modernist office building
of the 1950s, whose facade is also relatively intact. The permit was granted to
structural engineering firm, Marshall and Barr, for its client, the Alaska
Copper and Brass Company, on September 23, 1952. There does not seem to be an
architect of record. Original construction drawings also do not seem to be
available.
The Alaska Copper and
Brass Company still owns and uses the building. The Alaska Copper and Brass
Company operates as a distribution company for its sister company, Alaskan
Copper Works. The two companies, as described on the Alaska Copper website,
continue to operate as a “combined metal service center, manufacturer and
fabricator of corrosion-resistant alloy products.” Within the Industrial
District, the two companies are a major landowner and, as of 2003, owned 19
acres. Morris Rosen founded the Alaskan Copper Works along Alaskan Way during
the early Twentieth Century. The company has been run by at least three
generations of the Rosen family and retains many experienced workers who have
been with the company for over thirty years.
Additional Sources
Richard Seven, “How Goes SODO?,” Seattle
Times, Pacific Northwest Magazine, October 19, 2003, database at
:<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2003/1019/cover.html>,
accessed March 2010.
Alaskan Copper Works
website, http://www.alaskancopper.com/,
accessed April 7, 2010.
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| Appearance |
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The architecturally significant
and defining portion of this massive complex is the office wing, located on the
northwest corner of 6th Avenue South and Horton St. Behind it and
adjoining it, there is a large warehouse, which is mostly not visible from the
street. The two-story office wing is 116 feet by 45 feet in plan. It has a flat
roof and parapet. The somewhat asymmetrical façade is primarily clad in Roman
brick. Protruding concrete surrounds, which frame major openings, are also a
characteristic feature. For instance, at the second level, on the south side of
the façade, four slightly recessed aluminum windows, separated by wall that is
not clad in Roman brick, are framed by a long cast stone surround. The same is
true of the bank of aluminum-framed windows below. An entrance portal, which is
two stories in height, follows these four bays.
A thicker concrete frame
distinguishes the portal, which also includes original aluminum door hardware
and a second story window, presented as a clerestory. This is followed to the
north by only one window bay, framed at each floor, by the typical protruding,
concrete surround. The cladding and architectural vocabulary established on the
façade extends to the two sets of paired windows, (at each floor), of the north
elevation. The south elevation has been altered, with an addition made to the
building, probably during the mid-1970s.
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
LR, INV |
| Cladding(s): |
Brick - Roman, Concrete, Concrete - Block, Metal |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat with Parapet |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Industry/Processing/Extraction - Manufacturing |
Plan: |
Irregular |
| Structural System: |
Mixed |
No. of Stories: |
Various |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Commerce, Manufacturing/Industry |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Slight |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Slight |
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Changes to Windows: |
Slight |
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Storefront: |
Slight |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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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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