Seattle Historical Sites

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 Listing, Seattle Apartment Buildings, 1900–1957, for a low-rise apartment block.

This Tudor Revival style multi-family building is in the Uptown neighborhood and is known as the Dalmasso Apartments.

Mary and Domenic Dalmasso owned the site from 1920 through 1939. In 1928 Domenic Dalmasso posted an advertisement in The Seattle Daily Times (December 2, 1928, pg 52) offering cash for hotel or apartment buildings. The couple had previously sold a commercial building at 2324 First Avenue in 1923. Domenic was also arrested in 1922 in a police raid for liquor law violation and gambling at 1012 Nob Hill Avenue.

The building permit for construction (294161) of the Dalmasso Apartments was issued in 1930. Construction value was estimated at $50,000. There are no newspaper or Polk directory advertisements for renting rooms from 1930 through 1933. The first newspaper advertisement is a 1934 newspaper advertisement listed Mrs. W. B. Shanafelt as the manager. The building was advertised as “new and modern two and three room apartments. Furnished and unfurnished.”

Mary Dalmasso was born ca. 1905 in Washington and by 1935 lived at 26 Harrison in the Dalmasso Apartments. Mary completed three years of college. Mary was married to Domenic Dalmasso, born ca. 1882 in Italy.

Hiroshi Ito owned the building by 1954 and lived there through 1967. Polk directories listed the building from 1935 through 1975 as the Dalmasso Apartments; it was not listed prior to 1935. The street car turned from First Avenue N left onto Harrison Street at this location.

References:

‘Thirteen Arrested for Gambling and Booze.’ Seattle Daily Times, September 09, 1922: 4.

Year: 1940; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Roll: m-t0627-04379; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 40-190

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.

Seattle Daily Times, November 24, 1922: 23.

Seattle Daily Times, October 28, 1923: 53.

‘Dalmasso.’ Seattle Daily Times, November 11, 1934: 39.

Constructed in 1931, this three-story multi-family building has an L-shaped footprint. Located at the northwest corner of Harrison Street and First Avenue North, the building faces south and overlooks Harrison Street. An alley abuts the west side of the site. The building is built out to the lot lines with a slight recess along the north facade to leave a light well. Street trees consist of three American sycamores along Harrison Street and one along First Avenue N. A parking lot abuts the north side.

A flat roof, clad in rolled roofing, with perimeter parapets shelters interior spaces. Sheet metal flashing caps the parapet. An external brick chimney on the north facade services the buildings heating system.

A concrete foundation supports the building structure. The south, east, and part of the west facade feature a red brick veneer. A soldier course brick band marks the third story to parapet transition. The outer corners and bays feature a dark red Flemish bonded brick veneer having a diagonal pattern created by the use of dark header brick. These areas are recessed slightly from the main field area of the front facade.

The west and north facades feature a red and dark fired red brick veneer. A canted bay projects off the south facade and features cast stone engaged columns rising the full height of the bay. Dark brick headers project just below the parapet top. Round arched headers span the bay above the third story windows. Brick panels infill above and below the windows at each story with alternating soldier and header course brick. Cast stone also serves as the headers and sills for windows within the bay. The east bay is not canted and smaller, with cast stone quoins flanking the recessed window openings and panels between the windows at each story. These panels feature a woven brick pattern. A shed roof projection extends out adjacent this bay.

Windows occur in single and paired groupings. Some of the 6:1 double hung wood sash remain on the east facade (within the bay and at the north end of the facade). Upper lites are leaded. Windows on the south, east, and front part of the west facade feature soldier course headers and rowlock brick sills with brick moldings. Windows on the north and rear part of the west facades feature flat headers with rowlock brick sills, and brick moldings.

The front south entry features a cast stone surround with engaged columns. The entire entrance and a second story window opening occur with a shed roof clad bay projecting off the south facade adjacent to the canted bay. A broad quarry tile clad landing with metal railings and brick steps projects out from the entrance. The building address is set in cast stone above the doorway and a single wall sconce is located to the east of the doorway. The vestibule features a quarry tile floor with ceramic tile clad walls and a plaster ceiling with decorative crown molding. A 15-lite mahogany door with a transom, and multi-lite side lites flanking the door, opens to the interior. The original ceiling pendant light remains on the interior behind the transom. The west entry consists of a single personnel door with a small canopy projecting over the entrance.

Alterations include the replacement of most windows with aluminum sash units. Past work removed the hipped roof caps at the top of the two bays. In 1973 the building was retrofitted with a sprinkler system (permit 550467).