Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 2200 2nd AVE / Parcel ID 0694000005 / Inv #

Historic Name: Gervasi's Grocery Common Name: Crocodile Style: Beaux Arts - Neoclassical Neighborhood: Belltown Built By: Year Built: 1924   Significance This small 1924 building has notable terra cotta ornamentation, now in poor condition. It includes Wedgwood blue cartouches with a fountain motif and an intricate cornice with anthemions (stylized flowers) and large torches. Cladding is primarily glazed white brick, with vertical wood and corrugated metal covering the transoms, glazed metal on the bulkheads and 1x1 inch ceramic tile toward the rear of the side elevation. The display windows in the front have been enlarged; the rear windows are covered with wood. The building originally housed several small retail businesses, including a grocery store and a drugstore, and now has one of Seattle's most popular clubs. This small building was designed by architect John Creutzer (d. 1929), who moved to Seattle in 1906 after practicing architecture in Minneapolis and Spokane. He worked as a designer and construction supervisor for Alexander Pearson, a contractor, and for Henderson Ryan, a prominent architect. His major projects include the Swedish Tabernacle (1906) and the Medical-Dental Building (1927, with A. H. Albertson). His apartment designs include Carolina Court (1915), the Lenawee (1918), 1705 Belmont (1925), Park Vista (1928) and the Julie (now the El Rio, 1929).   Appearance

Detail for 2200 2nd AVE / Parcel ID 0694000005 / Inv #

Status: No - Altered Classication: Building District Status: Cladding(s): Brick, Ceramic tile, Concrete, Metal, Vertical - Boards Foundation(s): Concrete - Block Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Unknown Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Specialty store Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Masonry - Unreinforced No. of Stories: one Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce Integrity Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Extensive Changes to Original Cladding: Extensive Major Bibliographic References Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996. King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972.

Photo collection for 2200 2nd AVE / Parcel ID 0694000005 / Inv #

Photo taken Jul 04, 2006