| Historic Name: |
Walton Apartments |
Common Name: |
Oregonian Apartments |
| Style: |
Commercial |
Neighborhood: |
West Seattle Junction |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1927 |
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| Significance |
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This building, constructed in 1927, is associated with
early development of the West Seattle Junction business district. It is one of
two apartment buildings constructed at the same time, and is typical of the
apartments built in most Seattle neighborhoods, close to commercial districts
and street car lines. It has been altered with staircases and new windows and
cladding on the rear.
The Junction, West
Seattle's primary commercial district, acquired its name in 1907 when a new
street car line on California Avenue SW was extended south to Fauntleroy Park,
crossing the Admiral streetcar line at SW Alaska Street. West Seattle, incorporated
as a city in 1902, had built the Admiral line--the nation’s first municipally-owned
streetcar line. At first, the Junction was just a swamp with a few real estate
offices, but in 1907 West Seattle voted to be annexed to Seattle. Enhanced transportation and new amenities, accompanied by heavy promotion, encouraged a real estate boom, with new residents rapidly buying lots and building homes. Jefferson School opened in 1912, and had to be expanded in 1917. The 1920s brought significant growth, with major stores such as Ernst Hardware, Bartell Drugs, a J. C. Penney department store and two "five and dimes"--Woolworth's and Kress. Although development slowed during the Depression, the proximity of defense industries brought many new residents during World War II. The Junction thrived into the 1950s with several modern retail buildings and larger stores. By the 1980s, however, competition from shopping malls made the Junction's stores less competitive. J.C. Penney left in 1987 and many other retailers selling common items such as clothing closed, generally replaced by restaurants, bars and service businesses. In 1985, a large retail/office/residential project was built on the former site of Jefferson Elementary School. In the early 1990s, the City of Seattle adopted a comprehensive plan that focused growth in "urban villages," including the Junction. By 2010, numerous single-story buildings were being replaced by six-story mixed-use structures with underground parking, significantly changing the district’s character.
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| Appearance |
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This 3-story apartment building, on a corner site, is of
masonry construction clad with red brick accented with buff brick. The
center entry bay is flanked by large three-part windows on each floor. The flat roof has a stepped parapet. The
building sits close to the sidewalk with large shrubs around the concrete
foundation. The flush center entry is
set in an arched opening outlined with buff brick with a glazed door, an arched
leaded transom and narrow five-light leaded sidelights; the three concrete
steps have a wrought iron handrail. Each
floor above the entry has a pair of original 15- light leaded casement
windows. The three-part windows on each
side have a large fixed center pane flanked by 9-over-1 leaded double-hung wood
sash. The side elevations have 1-over-1
sash in various sizes. The rear facade
has a three-story wood exterior staircase at each corner, added at an unknown
date. The rear doors are newer replacements set in altered openings with
clapboard cladding. The three-part
windows are in the original openings but have sliding vinyl sash.
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