In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the registration requirements established in the National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Listed, Seattle Apartment Buildings, 1900–1957, for a low-rise apartment block.
This Art Deco style multi-family apartment is in the Uptown neighborhood and known originally as the Auditorium Apartments.
The building was designed by architect H. M. Jackson with drawings dated July 1926. The original drawings are on file with the City Department of Construction and Inspections. A. S. Hainsworth was the contractor and Hall and Stevenson were the structural engineers. There were revisions to the drawings in 1927, as construction was being finished, to adjust the south garage doorway level and the interior garage grade level. The building was originally designed and constructed with two retail storefronts at the street level along the east side and on the southeast corner. Each storefront had a recessed doorway and storefronts for display items. These were later converted to apartments. By 1933, C. F. Clise was the building owner; by 1946, the Securities Mortgage Company owned the building; and by 1947, Mrs. Jessie M. Smallwood owned the building. Akira Horita owned the building by 1954, followed by Locus J. Zorotovich by 1965. Polk directories listed the building as the Auditorium Apartments from 1927 through 1975.
A January 23, 1927 article in the Seattle Daily Times noted when the finishing work was happening on the building and that it was just a block from the site of the proposed civic auditorium. The building was constructed for William H. Hainsworth, owner of the Spring Apartments at Fifth Avenue and Spring Street. The total building cost was $250,000.
An April 10, 1927, advertisement in the Seattle Daily Times promoted units in the new building with, “electric ranges; every modern convenience; radio in each apartment; basement garage.”
The building retains moderate integrity and is a good example of an Art Deco style multiple-family building in the neighborhood.
References:
City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, ed., Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Guide to the Architects (Seattle, University of Washington Press: 2014), 2nd edition.
King County Property Record Card (c. 1938–1972), Washington State Archives.
Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890–1996.