Seattle Historical Sites

CONTEXT

Constructed in 1904 for Charley Swanson, the Owl Saloon is among the oldest, most intact and architecturally significant historic buildings within the Ballard Avenue Landmark District. The Ballard Avenue Landmark District encompasses a particularly well preserved section of one of several successful small towns that flourished around the perimeter of Seattle in the late nineteenth century and would be subsequently incorporated into the metropolis. Ballard Avenue is lined with an intact collection of modest scale commercial buildings that reflect the development of the community’s main commercial street between 1890 and 1930. The character of this distinctive historic streetscape was primarily preserved because it was by-passed by Post-War era development that instead occurred along modern arterials - Market Street and 15^th Avenue, to the north and east. In 1976, the Ballard Avenue Landmark District was formally designated a local historic district by the City of Seattle and was also listed in the National Register of Historic Places (Ballard Avenue Historic District).

This historic property is directly associated with a crucial era in the commercial and industrial development of Ballard (1900-1907) when the commercial district along Ballard Avenue was fully established and a significant number of permanent buildings were constructed. By the early 1900s Ballard became known as the “Shingle Capital of the World” with approximately twenty lumber and shingle mills in full operation. In addition to the mill operations the industrialized shoreline included iron foundries, machine shops, paint manufactures, shipyards, pipe making plants and boiler works. Substantial commercial buildings were constructed along Ballard Avenue as the local population grew to over 10,000 residents (including 3,400+ school age children) by 1904. During this era Ballard Avenue functioned as a full service commercial street populated by numerous boarding houses, hotels and lodging houses, clothing merchants, banks, hardware dealers, druggists, dry good stores, laundry businesses, meat markets, restaurants, theaters and saloons. Gradually, the earliest wood-frame structures were replaced by more permanent – often architect designed – commercial buildings.  Among the distinctive masonry and stone buildings that date from this era and most of which continue to characterize the streetscape are the G.B. Sanborn Block (1901, Portland Building (1901), Felt Block/Jones Building (1901, demolished), St. Charles Hotel (1902), Deep Sea Fisherman’s Building (1902), Scandinavian American Bank (1902), Matthes Block (1903), Kelsey Block (1903), Junction/Lombardini Block (1904), Kutzner Block (1904), Barthelemy Bros. Hardware Building (c.1904), Ernst Brothers Hardware Building (1904, demolished), A.L. Palmer Building (1905), Theisen Block (1905), Ballard Hardware Supply (1905), Peterson Hardware Co. (c.1905), Markussen Building (1905), and the Enquist Block (1906). In late 1906 Ballard residents approved annexation and the town became part of the City of Seattle on January 1, 1907. The boom era of major commercial construction began to lessen after the annexation.

HISTORY

Believed to have been built in 1904. Efforts to identify the original architect and builder have been unsuccessful. This historic property was built for longtime Ballard bar owner Charley Swanson, who had established the original saloon/cafe known as “The Owl” in 1898. He operated The Owl saloon here with his business partner Leonard Strygen. The 1905 Sanborn Insurance maps identified it as “The Owl” and noted that there were “rooms” (i.e. lodging rooms) on second floor. Tax records indicate that there were originally 15 rooms and a bathroom on the second floor. Ludwig Anderson appears to have purchased the building 1-8-22. During prohibition the former saloon space continued to operate and was known as the Owl Café. After prohibition it then continued to again operate as "The Owl" saloon until 1993. Tax records indict that the storefront level was extensively modernized sometime after 1972 and prior to the historic district designation in 1976. . The second floor level was damaged by fire in 1970. Building exterior has undergone extensive renovation and restoration work since the designation.

INFORMATION SOURCES

----------. Passport to Ballard, Ballard News Tribune, 1988.

Property Record Cards (1937-1972). Washington State Regional Archives, Puget Sound Regional Branch, Bellevue, WA.

“Ballard Avenue Historic District” National Register of Historic Places – Nomination Form (Prepared by Elisabeth Walton Potter, OAHP, April 1976.)

Ballard Historical Society, Ballard Avenue Landmark District Plaque Project records.

Baist’s Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Seattle, Wash. Philadelphia: W.G. Baist, 1905, 1912.

Sanborn Insurance Maps, 1884-1951. Digital versions available via Seattle Public Library - www.spl.org.

Two story, two-part commercial block façade composition. Two narrow structural bays. Rectangular footprint. Concrete and masonry structure with foundation/footing. Buff color brick masonry cladding with rusticated sandstone piers, sandstone plinths and carved details at façade. Prominent intact corbelled brick cornice and recessed panel frieze at parapet indicative of early twentieth century construction date. Second floor level distinguished by two sets of round arched window opening each surmounted by a wide arched molding. Double-hung round arched windows. Historic storefront level was remodeled at some point in early 1970s and has been reconstructed. Storefront design, configuration and fenestration appears to match original design; work appears to be very closely based on historic tax photos (1937).