| Historic Name: |
Washington Mutual Savings Bank |
Common Name: |
Chase Bank |
| Style: |
Commercial |
Neighborhood: |
West Seattle Junction |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1951 |
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| Significance |
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This building, constructed in 1951, is associated with post-World War
II-era development of the West Seattle Junction business district. It was built
in 1951 for a local savings bank, Washington Mutual, and was completely
remodeled in 1967; further alterations have been made more recently including
installation of an ATM on the main façade.
The company was founded in 1889 to provide loans after fire destroyed
much of downtown Seattle in that year. It grew steadily until the 1990s, when
it began a series of major acquisitions that made it one of the largest
mortgage lenders in the county. By 2007 its profits were declining as the
country entered into a mortgage crisis. In 2008 the savings bank was placed in
receivership and was subsequently purchased by JPMorgan Chase, a New York-based
bank that continued to operate most of the branches.
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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The one-story plus basement building, on a prominent corner lot, has an
irregular plan and is of masonry construction with stucco cladding. The recessed entry is near the center of the
main (east) façade with a large bank of modern metal sash windows and the ATM
to the south. The northern part of the façade has no windows. The north façade,
on SW Oregon Street, has several newer windows and a large historical mural. On
the rear is an entry pavilion and a covered walkway from the parking lot.
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