Historic Name: |
Safeway |
Common Name: |
Definitive Audio |
Style: |
Art Deco - Streamline Moderne |
Neighborhood: |
Roosevelt |
Built By: |
|
Year Built: |
1939 |
|
Significance |
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
|
Up into the 1930s, each neighborhood had numerous small grocery stores and specialty food stores such as meat markets and produce stands. People walked to the store, shopping several times a week or even daily. As automobiles and refrigeration became more common, grocery stores became larger, evolving gradually into supermarkets with a wide variety of goods and adjacent parking losts. People could drive and buy larger quantities less often. Safeway, which had innumerable small neighborhood stores, was a pioneer in supermarket development. There are several early supermarkets throughout the city, now converted to other uses. This appears to be one of the most detailed and intact of these examples. It is notable for its Art Deco pilasters.
This building was a Safeway store until the 1960s, when they moved to an even larger structure. It later became a carpet store, a video store and now an audio equipment store.
|
|
|
Appearance |
This rectangular (60 by 100 feet) concrete building has large windows, with heavy aluminum muntins, extending across the front façade and a short distance down the side elevation; there are no other windows. Above the windows is a concrete canopy with rounded corners, typical of the Art Moderne style. Corners have wide pilasters with fluting and Art Deco medallions at the top. |
|
|