Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 2001 Minor AVE / Parcel ID 2902200326 / Inv # EA005

Historic Name: Kirk Wallace McKinley Associates Common Name: World Class Communications Style: Modern - Northwest Regional Neighborhood: Eastlake Built By: Kirk Wallace McKinley Associates Year Built: 1961   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. This building was built in 1960-61 as the offices of Kirk Wallace McKinley Associates. Paul Hayden Kirk was one of the most prominent developers of the Northwest Modern style, and this building is a good example of his work. Particularly notable are its siting on the sloping lot and its use of post-and-beam construction, cedar siding and large expanses of glass. The exterior is largely intact, although the parking area has been partially enclosed. Paul Hayden Kirk received his architectural degree from the University of Washington in 1937. He started his own practice, doing primarily residential work, in 1939. With the coming of World War II, he associated with B. Dudley Stuart and Robert Durham and, later, with James Chiarelli. During this period his work turned increasingly toward the Modern and began to include small commercial buildings such as medical clinics. In the 1950s he began to abandon the formalism of the International Style and his work showed the influence of Japanese traditional architecture. This is evidenced in many of his designs with post-and-beam construction (such as the Magnolia Library) and intricate wood detailing. In 1957 his firm was known as Paul Hayden Kirk & Associates. In 1960 it became Kirk, Wallace McKinley & Associates, shortly before this building was designed. The firm's office was built the previous year, next door to this structure.   Appearance This rectangular post-and-beam structure has one floor of offices above an open parking area, accommodating the sloping site. A section of the parking area has been enclosed. Since the lower part of the building is largely open, the elements of the post-and-beam structure are clearly visible. Cladding is cedar siding, originally dark brown but now painted alight color. A concrete ramp at the south end of the east elevation provides access, where one enters through a corridor lined with multicolor glass louvers. The east elevation is composed entirely of pairs of fixed panes of glass alternating with louvered windows. Other elevations are primarily cedar siding with small windows.

Detail for 2001 Minor AVE / Parcel ID 2902200326 / Inv # EA005

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Vertical - Boards Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat Roof Material(s): Unknown Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Professional Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two Unit Theme(s): Integrity Changes to Plan: Slight Changes to Windows: Intact Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Major Bibliographic References DoCoMoMo.WeWa, Eastlake Modernism Tour, 2001. King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives. Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ed. Shaping Seattle Architecture, A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.

Photo collection for 2001 Minor AVE / Parcel ID 2902200326 / Inv # EA005

Photo taken Aug 07, 2001