| Historic Name: |
Viceroy Apartments |
Common Name: |
Viceroy Apartments |
| Style: |
Art Deco |
Neighborhood: |
Capitol Hill |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1930 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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The Viceroy is one of several apartment buildings in the vicinity designed by William J. Bain, Sr. in 1929-30. It was developed by David Bain and remained in the Bain family until 1999. The building is relatively large, with 49 2- and 3-room apartments. It was built in 1930, just at the time that the apartment boom of the 1920s was coming to a halt due to the Depression. Its design reflects the 1930s date, with Art Deco detailing and Modernist elements such as the steel casement windows.
William J. Bain, Sr. graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1921 and returned to Seattle to establish, eventually, what is now one of the largest architectural firms in the world, now known as NBBJ. His residences and apartment buildings used a wide range of architectural idioms, from 18th-century French and English and Georgian Revival to Streamline Modern. Most notable of his apartment designs is the Modernist Bel-Roy, designed with his former classmate, Lionel Pries, in 1931. During World War II Bain became state camouflage director, and was responsible for making the main Boeing aircraft plant look like a residential suburb from the air. It was in 1943 that the original partners of NBBJ began working together. Bain also formed a separate partnership with Harrison Overturf to design residences, often combining the Colonial revival with Modern design.
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| Appearance |
| The Viceroy is L-shaped in plan, with four stories on the front, increasing to five at the rear. Cladding is red brick, with cast stone on the first story. The simple Art Deco ornamentation is also cast stone and includes a water table above the first story, coping and a belt course above the top story. Two bays on each of the main elevations project approximately one foot; these are topped with stepped parapets. The parapet has a series Art Deco plaques at regular intervals. The stylized floral motif is picked up in the ornamental above the entry and the grillwork on vents. The recessed entry has an original oak-and-glass door with sidelights and a transom and a newer fabric awning. The windows throughout are steel casements with wood transoms. The entry to the garage is at the rear. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Brick |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat with Parapet |
Roof Material(s): |
Unknown |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Multiple Family |
Plan: |
L-Shape |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
four |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Slight |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, ed. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
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King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.
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City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.
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