| Historic Name: |
Skagit Hotel/ Central Card Room |
Common Name: |
Skagit Hotel/ The Central |
| Style: |
Commercial, Queen Anne - Richardsonian Romanesque |
Neighborhood: |
Pioneer Square |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1889 |
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| Significance |
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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, commonly referred to as the Central, in reference to the bar at the ground floor, is also called the Skagit Building. The building dates from 1889 and was built right after the Great Fire of June 6, 1889 that leveled the entire area that became the Pioneer Square-Skid Road National Historic District. Based on historical photos, the Central’s facade appears to be intact, except for possible changes to the storefront. The upper floors have historically housed the Skagit Hotel. With the New England Hotel, 213, 211 and 209 First Avenue South, and the J & M Building which make up the western block from Main Street to Washington Street, this building presents a unified façade and a powerful sense of early Seattle, as it rose from the ashes right after the Fire of 1889. The building, of course, is of the same construction type as these buildings: brick exterior walls with heavy timber construction on its interior.
This building is located next to 213, 211 and 209, whose upper floors during the Klondike Gold Rush functioned as a brothel. During the Klondike Gold Rush, the upper floors of this building at the very least provided inexpensive lodgings. The central tavern claims to be Seattle’s oldest saloon. Both the Central and the J & M Café on the same block are supposed to have also functioned around the time of the Gold Rush as shady employment agencies that took advantage of laid-off workers.
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| Appearance |
| Rectangular in plan, this is a three story building mainly clad in brick with cast stone and stone trim. The only street elevation faces First Avenue South. The building is very similar in size and width to 213, 211 and 209 First Avenue South on the same block and located to the south of it. In fact, the similarities between its façade and 211 First Avenue South are particularly strong. The building retains the metal cornice at the top of the façade, which in this case is divided into three bays, reflecting the bay divisions of the wall below it. It consists of molding shapes in metal supported by tiny repeated arches, similar to those that originally graced the 211 façade. Below this, the façade is very close in appearance to 211 First Avenue South. There are two floors of double-hung windows. These are arranged so that the central bay is wider and has two windows per floor, while each side bay only have one window per floor. Lintels and window sills are of rusticated cast stone and the belt course just above the storefront level doubles as a sill for the second floor windows. The Central also has thin bands of cast stone trim, just below the level of window lintels to each side of the windows and on the brick pilasters that emphasize the bay divisions. Spandrels are decorated by a series of squares composed of header bricks set at right angles to each other in a sort of checkerboard pattern. The metal storefront takes up most of the width of the ground floor level, with an entrance to the upper floors located to the south. The storefront also has clerestory windows. To each side of the storefront, what little wall is visible made of rusticated stone blocks. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
NR, LR |
| Cladding(s): |
Brick, Metal, Stone, Stone - Cast |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Flat with Parapet |
Roof Material(s): |
Asphalt/Composition |
| Building Type: |
Domestic - Multiple Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
| Structural System: |
Masonry - Unreinforced |
No. of Stories: |
three |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce |
| Integrity |
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Storefront: |
Slight |
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Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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Raffin, Melina and Shelley Krueger. “ 201-221 1st Avenue South.” Report for URBDP 586 A. University of Washington, 2003. City of Seattle, Department of Neighborhoods, Historic Preservation Program Files.
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Andrews, Mildred, Pioneer Square Journey - Map," (walking tours), Seattle: Pioneer Square Community Council, n.d. (ca. 2001).
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