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Summary for 1165 EASTLAKE AVE / Parcel ID 216390-0955 / Inv # 0

Historic Name: Washington Laundry Co. Common Name: The Lab
Style: Modern, Other - Utilitarian Neighborhood: Cascade
Built By: Year Built: 1909/1945
 
Significance

The earliest commercial use of the shoreline along the end of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Lake <st1:placename w:st="on">Union involved farmsteads and early industries dependent on water-borne transportation. During the mid to late 19th C. the geographic area became a natural path for commerce and industry, primarily the movement of coal and logs, and the processing of lumber and wood or construction-related products. From the mid-1880s to the post-fire era, several industrial operations were established in the vicinity of the south end of Lake Union, including: numerous lumber milling operations; door, sash and shutter fabricators; furniture, mattress and paper box manufacturing companies; a carpet weaving plant and two breweries. Extensive areas of land to south of the mill complex were set aside for lumber storage purposes. During this era a large commercial laundry was also established near the west side of the sprawling Western Mill complex and small cabinet shops, wood working shops, and feed and grain operations were scattered throughout the district. After the turn-of-the-century the construction of modern industrial and warehousing facilities was spurred by improved and expanded rail and roadway transportation routes and the district became defined by these activities well into the 20th C. Despite major late 20th C. land use and zoning changes that have spurred a significant amount of demolition and new high-rise commercial and residential construction, numerous extant historic buildings that are directly associated with industrial activities, and were designed/built for manufacturing and warehousing purposes, remain in place.

By 1905, the Polk Directory to the City of Seattle listed 37 laundries and 35 "Chinese and Japanese" laundries. The listing did include some individual laundresses who took wash into their homes, but the number of businesses listed indicates the rise of commercial laundries in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle. The rise of large commercial laundry operations in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle and particularly the South Lake Union and Cascade neighborhoods is directly related to the increased local population, electrical power and modern laundering technology in conjunction with improved transportation routes. "<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle's commercial laundries prospered in the years following 1900. Large, brick steam- and electric-powered plants filled with the latest machinery, offered complete laundry service to households, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, and offices. Wagon drivers, working on commission, solicited business and picked up laundry bundles" (Supply Laundry Landmark Designation Report).

The subject building was initially constructed in c.1905 to house the Washington Laundry Co. The original building appears to have been designed by architects Place & McCauley [possibly J.L. McCauley] and possibly built by David Dow. The company manager (and possible owner) was James T. Huff of the J.T. Huff Investment Co. During this same era several other commercial laundries were established in the general vicinity including: Supply Laundry Co. (1905 at <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">1265 Republican St.), Rainier Laundry (prior to 1915? at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Westlake & <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Roy Street), Washington Supply laundry (1912, at <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">1271 Republican St.), Metropolitan Laundry (New Richmond Laundry (prior to 1915? at Ninth Avenue & Westlake). Thus, the subject building is among the oldest extant buildings in the district associated with the commercial laundry trade.

The 1917 Sanborn Insurance Map (Vol.4 Plate 492) noted that the original building included an elevator; it housed offices and facilities for washing, cleaning, dyeing, ironing, sorting & shipping and carpet cleaning. There was also a two-story auto garage, stable and wood storage facility located off of <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Fairview Avenue (not extant). The complex functioned as the Washington Laundry and then after 1939 as the Model Washington Laundry. The firm is known to have serviced many ships and shipping related vessels. The original building appears to have been repeatedly remodeled-upgraded during its nearly 40 years of use as a commercial laundry operation. In 1945, a new Model Washington Laundry plant was opened at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Aurora and <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Broad Street (<st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">421-31 Aurora Ave) and the subject property was acquired by the Kirsten Pipe Co. (George Gunn, president) and remodeled/modernized to serve as a pipe manufacturing factory in 1946. In the early 1980’s the building began to be used as Antioch University West.

 

 
 
Appearance

The building appears to have been repeatedly remodeled-upgraded during its nearly 40 years of use as a commercial laundry operation. It was extensively remodeled after 1945 when it was converted from a commercial laundry operation to a pipe manufacturing factory. Architectural drawings prepared by Place & McCauley (c.1906) and the 1937 PRC image show that the Eastlake Ave E façade was a conventional one-part (2 story) commercial block (symmetrically divided into seven structural bays) with multi-pane industrial type sash at the second floor, large display windows with multi-pane transoms at the first floor and a standard decorated parapet treatment. These records also indicate that the other elevations (particularly the four story elevation at the <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Fairview Avenue side) were also distinguished by extensive fenestration and multi-pane industrial type sash. Some original industrial sash appears to remain in place west elevation. The building primarily exhibits architectural features and materials indicative of the “modernization” of the building after 1945. Features and finishes of note: flush concrete stucco cladding, asymmetrical façade treatment, modern window treatment with sets of window accentuated by tapered surrounds at northern end of Eastlake Ave E façade, vertical three and five part steel sash members in some of the original openings, glass block transom element at south end of facade, and flush parapet treatment. The <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Fairview Avenue side of the building is still distinguished by extensive fenestration and multi-pane industrial type sash.

Detail for 1165 EASTLAKE AVE / Parcel ID 216390-0955 / Inv # 0

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Concrete Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Flat Roof Material(s): Unknown
Building Type: Industry/Processing/Extraction - Manufacturing Plan: Irregular
Structural System: Mixed No. of Stories: two
Unit Theme(s): Manufacturing/Industry
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Moderate
Changes to Windows: Moderate
Changes to Original Cladding: Moderate
Major Bibliographic References
King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
Baist, William. Baist’s Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Seattle, Wash. Philadelphia: W. G. Baist, 1905, 1908 and 1912.

Photo collection for 1165 EASTLAKE AVE / Parcel ID 216390-0955 / Inv # 0


Photo taken Feb 10, 2014

Photo taken Feb 10, 2014
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