| Historic Name: |
Colyear Motor Sales Company |
Common Name: |
Velo Bike |
| Style: |
Commercial - Chicago School |
Neighborhood: |
Pike/Pine |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1918 |
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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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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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This building is distinguished by its very large windows and its highly-ornamented elaborate terra cotta cladding. It was built in 1918 for the White Motor Company, an early automobile manufacturer. The large windows provided ample light on upper floors. It originally had a showroom and garage on the first floor and a garage above. The terra cotta ornamentation is unusually ornate, featuring rosettes, inset tiles and an arched main entry. Although the building was used as an auto showroom, it had no ramp to the second floor; a large elevator was used to transport the autos to the second floor. The mechanical penthouses for the elevator is visible from 11th Avenue. In the 1960s the building was acquired by Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI), a fledgling cooperative formed to sell quality outdoor equipment to members. This became their main office and retail store. As they grew, they opened up the wall on the first and second floors to expand into the building next door. It was renovated for office space by architects Arai/Jackson in 1984-85; the exterior was not changed. REI moved in the early 1990s and the first floor is now a bicycle store. The Pike/Pine area was the Northwest's major center of auto dealerships from 1905 until the Depression. Nearly every building has had some connection with the auto industry, either as a dealerships, a parts store or some type of related sales or service. In the 1930s the building was used as a warehouse and store by the Colyear Motor Sales Company, a dealer in wholesale auto parts. Architect Julian Everett arrived in Seattle in 1904 after attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He practiced architecture independently and in association with W. R. B. Willcox from 1904 until 1922. He designed Pilgrim Congregational Church, Pioneer Square underground comfort station and the 1906 Temple de Hirsch.
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| Appearance |
| This three-story concrete building has very large multipane sash covering most of the two street facades. Cladding is ornate cream-colored terra cotta with colored rosettes between each bay and a band of inset tiles above the transoms. The main entrance, on the east elevation on East Pine Street, has a Roman-arched entry with a gabled pediment, all in terra cotta. The display windows are very large, with intact transoms. The only apparent alteration is the conversion of the original auto entry on the east elevation to a storefront. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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| Cladding(s): |
Concrete, Terra cotta |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat |
Roof Material(s): |
Unknown |
| Building Type: |
Transportation - Road- Related |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Concrete - Poured |
No. of Stories: |
three |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Commerce, Transportation |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
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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