Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 6500 3rd AVE / Parcel ID 2877101210 / Inv # BA008

Historic Name: Berg's IGA Store Common Name: All Aboard 2nd Hand Inc. Style: Commercial Neighborhood: Greenwood/Phinney Built By: Year Built: 1931   Significance This is a very good example of the commercial/apartment buildings that developed along major street car routes such as 3rd Avenue NW. For most of its existence the building housed a grocery store, providing convenience to surrounding residents. In the 1930s it was Carl Berg's IGA store, a member of a local grocers' cooperative that allowed members to make bulk purchases and thus charge lower prices. For some time in the 1940s-50s the storefronts were apparently vacant or little used. In the 1970s a drapery workroom located here. It is currently a second-hand store. This building is unusual for its elegant detailing, with a red barrel tile roof and leaded glass doors and transoms.   Appearance This two-story mixed-use building has a red tile roof and red brick cladding. At each corner a pilaster extends to the roof line, and is topped with a decorative cast stone medallion in an abstract design. A brick belt course runs below the second floor windows. The two storefronts are largely intact, with original metal-framed display windows and tile bulkheads. Some of the tile is in poor condition and may be in the process of being replaced. Each store has a recessed double-leaf leaded glass door with a transom. The four-light leaded glass display window transoms are intact, although the original suspended metal canopy has been replaced by a fabric canopy. The apartment entry on the south elevation has a red tile hood supported by large brackets with the original wood-and-glass door. The double-hung windows on the second floor have newer vinyl sash. The rear (east) windows are original with a large fixed pane window flanked by two leaded four-over-one double-hung sash.

Detail for 6500 3rd AVE / Parcel ID 2877101210 / Inv # BA008

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Brick Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat Roof Material(s): Clay Tile Building Type: Domestic - Multiple Family Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two Unit Theme(s): Commerce Integrity Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Extensive Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Major Bibliographic References King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives. Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.

Photo collection for 6500 3rd AVE / Parcel ID 2877101210 / Inv # BA008

Photo taken Aug 23, 2001