Summary for 1400 34th AVE / Parcel ID 7152200095 / Inv # CA005 |
| Historic Name: |
Benjamin Franklin Thrift Market |
Common Name: |
Café Soleil |
| Style: |
Commercial |
Neighborhood: |
Madrona |
| Built By: |
V. W. Voorhees |
Year Built: |
1924 |
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| Significance |
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This is an excellent example of a 1920s brick neighborhood commercial building. It is distinguished by its key corner location and its intact transoms and storefronts. A streetcar line ran along Union Street to 34th Avenue, near the crest of the hill over lake Washington. This brought more residents, and made this intersection a logical site for commercial development to serve the growing neighborhood.
The building was designed by architect V. W. Voorhees for a client named S. Rogers. Voorhees was one of Seattle's most prolific early architects and is credited with more than 110 projects from his arrival here in 1904 until 1929. He designed everything form cottages and residences to apartment buildings, factories, banks, hotels, garages and fraternal halls. He also published a book of house and bungalow plans and published the book Western Home Builder in 1911. Some of his best known buildings are auto showrooms and garages, the Vance Hotel and the Vance Building.
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| Appearance |
| This brick-clad building has four storefronts on 34th Avenue, with recessed entries, wood-and-glass doors and largely unaltered wood-frame display windows with notable tall transoms. The storefronts are divided by brick pilasters that extend well above the cornice line, ending in arrow-like points. Two storefronts have minor alterations in their windows, while the storefront on the east end, on Union Street, has been significantly modernized. |
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Detail for 1400 34th AVE / Parcel ID 7152200095 / Inv # CA005 |
| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
INV |
| Cladding(s): |
Brick |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat |
Roof Material(s): |
Unknown |
| Building Type: |
Commercial/Trade - Specialty store |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
one |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Community Planning/Development |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Slight |
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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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Photo collection for 1400 34th AVE / Parcel ID 7152200095 / Inv # CA005 |
Photo taken Oct 14, 2001
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