Seattle.gov Home Page
Link to Seattle Department of Neighborhoods home page

Seattle Historical Sites

New Search

Summary for 1634 15th AVE / Parcel ID 365700005 / Inv # UP006

Historic Name: Davidsen Furniture Company Common Name: E-Z Mini Storage
Style: Other - Industrial Neighborhood: Ballard Interbay Manufacturing Industrial Center
Built By: Year Built: 1912
 
Significance
This is an early and remarkably intact vernacular warehouse which has had a multitude of uses, both manufacturing and warehousing, over the years. It was a furniture factory and in the 1930s, a wholesale furniture warehouse. In the 1940s it was the headquarters of the Harry Leckenby insecticide company. By the 1960s it once again became a warehouse for imported Norwegian furniture. Other uses have included plastics, silk screening, small boat manufacturing and marine equipment sales. It has been a mini-storage facility for some years. Interbay has long been an industrial area, primarily because of its easy access to water. The Great Northern Railway acquired 600 acres on Smith's Cove at the south end of Interbay in 1893. The railroad developed a major switchyard and the longest pier on the West Coast, with its own warehouses and elevators. Cargo was delivered by ship and immediately placed on trains for the trip east. A varied industrial center grew up around the piers, with a rope-making factory, a pickle works, a brewery, a paint manufacturer, saw mills and several furniture factories, including this one. Smith's Cove Waterway originally extended as far north as West Halliday Street. The first filling occurred in 1910, shortly before this building was constructed. A larger fill was done in 1916. Interbay was considerably changed by World War II, when it became the primary military shipping and embarkation point for this area. Fifteenth Avenue West has since turned primarily to commercial uses and has few reminders of its industrial past.
 
Appearance
This early vernacular warehouse has a hipped roof with alrge hipped dormers on the north, south and west elevations. The dormers are supported by knee braces. Cladding is clapboard, with standing seam metal roofing. Windows throughout are rather narrow one-over-one double-hung wood sash, singly or in pairs. The north side has two small-scale freight doors with loading docks. Windows on the first floor on the west elevation are newer aluminum sash. The entry door is also newer; the wooden stairs to the front entry have been rebuilt in a similar configuration to the original, with a flat roof sheltering the doorway.

Detail for 1634 15th AVE / Parcel ID 365700005 / Inv # UP006

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Wood Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Hip Roof Material(s): Metal
Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Warehouse Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: two & ½
Unit Theme(s): Commerce, Manufacturing/Industry
Integrity
Changes to Plan: Intact
Changes to Windows: Slight
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Major Bibliographic References
King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.
Reinartz, Kay F. Queen Anne: Community on the Hill. Seattle: Queen Anne Historical Society, 1993.

Photo collection for 1634 15th AVE / Parcel ID 365700005 / Inv # UP006


Photo taken Jul 12, 2002
App v2.0.1.0