Historic Name: |
J. C. Penney/Russell Building |
Common Name: |
Lyons Antiques/Windermere |
Style: |
Commercial |
Neighborhood: |
West Seattle Junction |
Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1926 |
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Significance |
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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Despite alterations to the storefronts,
this building remains a significant part of the West Seattle Junction business
district. The 1927 opening of the J.C. Penney department store symbolized the
growth and importance of West Seattle. The store first shared the building, known
as the Russell Building, with Ernst Hardware. In 1958, Ernst moved and J.C.
Penney's expanded, remodeling the building. The store anchored the
neighborhood's commercial activity until it left in 1987. The building was then
divided into several separate storefronts. The building was designed in 1926
for L. B. Russell by Victor W. Voorhees, who is credited with more than 100
building projects between 1904 and 1929, ranging from cottages and large residences to apartment
blocks, auto dealerships, industrial buildings, fraternal halls, office
buildings and hotels.
The Junction, West
Seattle's primary commercial district, acquired its name in 1907 when a new
street car line on California Avenue SW was extended south to Fauntleroy Park,
crossing the Admiral streetcar line at SW Alaska Street. West Seattle, incorporated
as a city in 1902, had built the Admiral line--the nation’s first municipally-owned
streetcar line. At first, the Junction was just a swamp with a few real estate
offices, but in 1907 West Seattle voted
to be annexed to Seattle. Enhanced transportation and new amenities,
accompanied by heavy promotion, encouraged a real estate boom, with new
residents rapidly buying lots and building homes. Jefferson School opened in 1912,
and had to be expanded in 1917. The 1920s brought significant growth, with major
stores such as Ernst Hardware, Bartell Drugs, a J. C. Penney department store
and two "five and dimes"--Woolworth's and Kress. Although development
slowed during the Depression, the proximity of defense industries brought many
new residents during World War II. The
Junction thrived into the 1950s with several modern retail buildings and larger
stores. By the 1980s, however, competition from shopping malls made the
Junction's stores less competitive. J.C. Penney left in 1987 and many other retailers
selling common items such as clothing closed, generally replaced by
restaurants, bars and service businesses. In 1985, a large retail/office/residential
project was built on the former site of Jefferson Elementary School. In the
early 1990s, the City of Seattle adopted a comprehensive plan that focused
growth in "urban villages," including the Junction. By 2010, numerous
single-story buildings were being replaced by six-story mixed-use structures with
underground parking, significantly changing the district’s character.
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Appearance |
This two-story masonry building extends
125 feet along California Avenue. It is clad with brown brick with terra cotta
ornamentation including a cornice with acanthus leaf and egg-and-dart motifs.
Terra cotta-capped brick pilasters pierce the cornice. Each pilaster has a
shield with a decorative "R" for the building's developer, L.B.
Russell. The five businesses have distinctive storefronts with aluminum doors
and display windows. The antique store at 4516 California has a deeply recessed
entry with double doors that may be original to the department store. The
original transom windows have been filled with stucco and fabric canopies
shelter the windows.
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Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
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Cladding(s): |
Brick, Stucco |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
Roof Type(s): |
Flat |
Roof Material(s): |
Unknown |
Building Type: |
Commercial/Trade - Specialty store |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
one |
Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce |
Integrity |
Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
Storefront: |
Moderate |
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Major Bibliographic References |
West Seattle Herald. West Side Story, 1987.
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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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