| Historic Name: |
Johnson & Hamilton Mortuary |
Common Name: |
Gilda's Club Seattle |
| Style: |
Beaux Arts - Neoclassical |
Neighborhood: |
Pike/Pine |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1911 |
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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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This is a very well-preserved example of an early mortuary and an excellent example of the work of noted architect Daniel R. Huntington and of the Neoclassical style. Huntington designed this building in 1911 for the Noice Undertaking Company. However, another firm, Johnson and Hamilton, acquired the building in 1914 and remained here for more than fifty years.
Noice moved here from Georgetown when this was a budding commercial area surrounded by single-family residences. The location and unique appearance of the building would attract the attention of the many people going by on streetcars and automobiles. Originally, undertakers had located in or north of the downtown area. As Seattle grew rapidly in the early 20th century, these businesses relocated closer to the city's most desirable residential neighborhoods. Also in 1911 Bonney-Watson moved from a downtown funeral home to a nearby Broadway location and remains there today.
Charles F. Johnson and Frank Hamilton founded their business shortly after their arrival in Seattle in 1902, from Fargo, North Dakota. They operated in the Denny Regrade area before moving to this location. After the death of Charles Johnson in 1920, his wife Sophia became active in the business. By 1926, she had taken over the Johnson & Hamilton names and moved to a new location at 11th and Madison, in a buidling now used by Seattle University. Hamilton continued the business at this location and, by 1935, he was again able to use the Johnson & Hamilton name and the company continued to operate here until the mid-1960s.
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| Appearance |
| This notable building sits on a prominent corner at Broadway and Union Street. It is rectangular in plan and is of masonry construction faced with red brick. The most notable feature is a two-story entrance portico that is an exact replica of the portico on Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello. The entrance portal has double entry doors with sidelights and a fanlight at the center of the first story. Large twelve-over-twelve double-hung wood sash windows flank this main entrance. At the second floor level, smaller eight-over-eight windows flanks a shallow wrought iron balcony with French doors. On the south elevation, the buiilding retains the original multipane double-hun wood window sash but has lost a marquee that once covered the side entrance. A large wood cornice above a wide frieze encircles the building on the south and west elevations as does a brick parapet. The building retains very good integrity. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Hold |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Brick |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat with Parapet |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Funerary - Mortuary |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Masonry - Unreinforced |
No. of Stories: |
two |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Health/Medicine |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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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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Sound Transit, Historic and Archaeological Report, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, 1998.
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