| Historic Name: |
Ballard Eagles Building |
Common Name: |
Ballard Block |
| Style: |
Beaux Arts - Neoclassical |
Neighborhood: |
Crown Hill/Ballard |
| Built By: |
F. J. Peters |
Year Built: |
1927 |
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| Significance |
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This is one of Ballard's most significant buildings. Designed by local architect F. J. Peters in 1927-28, it occupies half a block at a key Market Street intersection. Its massiveness and its cream-This is one of Ballard's most significant buildings, occupying half a block at a key Market street intersection. Its massiveness and its cream-colored terra cotta cladding make it a substantial presence on the main street. It was built in the boom times of the mid-1920s as the home of the Ballard Eagles (Aerie 172), a national fraternal organization that had been founded in Seattle. In addition to the Eagles meeting rooms and amenities, and several stores, the building's basement housed one of Ballard's main attractions--the Bagdad Theater. The theater was probably the most elaborate of any local neighborhood theater, with elegance rivaling those downtown. The 1,000 seat auditorium featured a $25,000 Wurlitzer organ, velvet drapes and a multicolored dome, with fourteen giant floodlights on the exterior. The theater was a major feature in Ballard life until its closure in the 1950s.
The building also served as Ballard's medical center. In 1928 Ballard General Hospital was established on the third floor, with numerous doctors and dentists occupying the second floor and Lafferty's Drug Store on the ground floor. There were 38 beds, with patients cared for primarily for nurses; doctors were called in as needed. The hospital remained at this location until a community fund raising effort succeeded in building a new facility in 1954. The building eventually proved to be too large for the Eagles, who moved to another building during the Depression. It reverted to office use, with the theater auditorium being used for many years as a night club. The medical use returned in the 1980s when a fourth-floor penthouse was added to accommodate a medical clinic.
In 1927-28 architect Frederick J. Peters also worked on the design of Seattle's Paramount Theater, in association with Marcus Priteca and the noted Chicago firm of Rapp and Rapp. This prominent building, now listed in the National Register, combines commercial uses and apartments with a major theater.
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| Appearance |
| The three-story building has a 200 foot frontage on Market Street, and runs for 100 feet along 22nd Avenue Northwest. It is clad entirely in cream-colored terra cotta with a prominent dentilled cornice. Between each pair of windows on the two street façades is a pilaster topped with an eagle, the emblem of the original builders. An ornamented belt course runs between the mezzanine-level windows and the second floor. Windows throughout are newer metal sash. Most of the storefronts have been modernized with steel and glass doors and sash; they are sheltered by a newer fabric canopy. A modern penthouse covering much of the roof area is visible from across the street. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Terra cotta |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat |
Roof Material(s): |
Unknown |
| Building Type: |
Commercial/Trade - Business |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Concrete - Poured |
No. of Stories: |
four |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Commerce, Entertainment/Recreation, Health/Medicine, Social Movements & Organizations |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Slight |
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Changes to Windows: |
Extensive |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Slight |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
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Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ed. Shaping Seattle Architecture, A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
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Passport to Ballard: The Centennial Story. Seattle: Ballard News Tribune, 1988.
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