Seattle Historical Sites

In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places.

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 Beaux Arts style multi-family building is in the Uptown neighborhood and known as the Strathmore Apartments. The building is also listed at 330 and 332 Queen Anne Avenue N. A street car line originally passed in front of building along Harrison, turning north on to Queen Anne Avenue N. The Polk directories listed the Strathmore Apartments from 1909 through 1975. O. A. Bushnell purchased the building in February of 1921.

The building offered furnished and unfurnished rooms for rent. A 1909 advertisement in the Seattle Daily Times advertised the building as “Beautiful, homelike apartments, select tenants, splendid card service, good neighborhood […].” Monthly room rents started at $25 in 1909.

The building is currently a cooperative.

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.

Seattle Daily Times, June 25, 1909: 23.

Constructed ca. 1908, the three-story building is a two-part vertical block in form and has a rectangular plan. The building stands at the southeast corner of Harrison Street and Queen Anne Avenue N. An alley abuts the east side. The building faces north, overlooking Harrison Street. Street trees extend along the north side (four Japanese hornbeams). The site slopes downward from north to south, and from east to west.

A flat roof with parapets shelters interior spaces. Rolled roofing clads the roof.

A parged concrete foundation, scored to replicate ashlar stone, supports the brick masonry structure and serves as a base. The parging is not scored along the east alley facade. The base features prominent terra cotta quoins at the outer corner with vermiculated detailing (a surface pattern of irregular lines). Buff colored veneer brick with tan mortar clads the building’s north and west facades with red brick on the east and south sides. The first story features projecting two course brick bands. These occur every five courses and give a strong horizontal emphasis to the first story. A narrow, projecting cornice marks the transition to the second story. The cornice breaks on the front facade at the pediment over the front entrance and at the recessed bay on the west facade over the west entrance. The second and third stories function visually as a single block with a broad field of brick. Corbeling along the top of the third story transitions to the parapets.

Window openings feature flat headers with terra cotta lug sills with saddle joints. All openings feature wood brick moldings. Window openings on the east and south facade feature rowlock elliptical arched headers with rowlock brick sills.

The front entrance features a broad, round-arched opening flanked by terra cotta pilasters with modillions supporting a pediment. Marble entry stairs flanked by marble clad walls lead into the building. The west entrance provides additional tenant access from Queen Anne Avenue N. A pair of doors, each with a tall lite, open to the interior. A two-lite, round-arched transom with a terra cotta and brick keystone span the doorway. The east entrance consists of an elliptical arched rowlock brick header over a pair of doors, each with a tall lite. A fixed transom spans the opening.

Alterations include the replacement of all windows and the removal of the projecting cornice at the parapet. In 1959, work altered apartment 31 (permit 474981) but did not describe the work, lowered the ceilings in apartments #18 (permit 477920), 15 (permit 478573), and 19 (permit 480033); and removed partitions, lowered ceilings, and installed a clothes closet in 21 (permit 480701). Work in 1960 lowered ceilings in 5 (permit 482318) and installed three-eighths-inch plasterboard (permit 48630). Work in 1961 added a partition and lowered a ceiling (permit 487755) and was completed in 1962 (permit 493956). Work in 1961 repaired fire damage in an apartment and the basement (permit 487835). In 1962 a series of appliance wiring permits were issued for dishwashers and kitchen wiring. In 1963 storage spaces were altered in the basement (permit 500058) and in 12 and 14 altered (permits 502793 and 503679). Ceilings were lowered in apartments 17 and 28 and 38. In 1975 a sprinkler system was installed in the building (permit 559749).