Seattle Historical Sites

This building was completed in 1948. At that time, the Chicago Milwaukee and St Paul Railway is listed as the owner of the property, although Johnson Wax Products leased the building. S. C. Johnson & Son Inc., Floor Wax, is listed at this address until at least 1970. The top of the wing wall between the office area and the loading dock once sported a sign, made of raised letters, for “Johnson Wax.” The building is a simple, but well-designed Modernist building. Like several Modernist industrial buildings in Seattle’s Industrial District, it combines a more standard office wing, with a large warehouse wing, topped by bow string trusses. By 1974, Electrical Specialty Company was listed at this address and remained until at least 1980.

This is a one story building located on the west side of First Avenue South, between South Spokane Street and South Andover Street. It has a regular plan, which is virtually rectangular and brick clad walls. It is visibly divided into two wings. The north wing reads as an office wing, which is separated from the more utilitarian south wing, by a protruding brick wing wall. Major elements of the north wing facade include a bank of seven windows, followed to the north by a recessed storefront entry, The south wing includes two service entrances, as well as regular sized doorway, set over a loading dock. A new metal awning is set above the loading dock.  At each end of this south portion of the façade, there are also two horizontal window openings, set closer to the parapet. Each opening is filled with two oblong windows, set in metal frames. A well-spaced row of six openings, each holding two windows, are set at the same level, fairly high up on the south elevation. These are the openings on the south elevation.