Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 315 2nd AVE / Parcel ID 5247800720 / Inv #

Historic Name: Duncan and Sons Building/ Duncan and Sons Saddlery and Shoe Common Name: Duncan Building Style: Commercial, Italian - Italian Renaissance Neighborhood: Pioneer Square Built By: Year Built: 1900   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). This building was erected in 1900 for Duncan & Sons Saddlery and Shoe Findings. It represents an example of a building with a ground level used for retail and upper floors for light manufacturing, a standard configuration in the district. In terms of design, it stands out among the Pioneer Square-Skid road National Historic District’s retail/warehouse/manufacturing buildings. It has a simple, unified, symmetrical design with an elegant use of light brick and stone trim, unlike the gridlike and less unified designs of many of the Victorian style buildings, that date from right after the Fire of 1889. It is not a tall building that relies on repeated recessed bays or a Chicago School warehouse model, unlike many of its counterparts from the 1900s. The building was occupied continuously by the Duncan family until they sold it in 1976. For a long time, the building has been identified by a painted sculpture of a horse mounted above the front entrance. Most recently, a replica of the original horse sculpture hung there. For many years, the first floor of the building housed Duncan & Sons saddlery leather store and the top floors were used as the workshop. The Duncan & Sons tenants walked through the leather store to access the upper floors. During a 1979 restoration, this condition was changed to meet building code requirements. A recessed entry vestibule was designed for the north bay. The building suffered much damage during the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake: The lintels of the central bay were visibly deflected, for instance. The building has recently undergone a careful, but accurate restoration.   Appearance The Duncan and Sons Building is a three story building with a partial mezzanine above the first floor, as well as a basement level. It has one street facing elevation on Second Avenue South. The façade, clad in pressed light buff brick with Wilkeson stone trim is divided into three major bays, emphasized at the ground level by metal pillars, which have been painted. The ground level (with the partial mezzanine level) is mainly storefront with transom lights. The storefront level is surmounted by an original Wilkeson stone lintel that runs the length of the façade. On the two upper floors, each bay has trabeated window openings with a common stone sill and lintel. Within each bay window openings are separated by rectangular stone piers with capitals decorated with lightly carved floral motifs. A thin belt-course in stone tops the two upper levels. At the center of this is a rectangle of Wilkeson stone with the name “Duncan” carved into it. This is topped by a stone band with a projecting cornice across the face of the building. Below the projecting portion of the cornice, double brackets in stone occur at the bay divisions, while single stone brackets correspond to the piers that divide each bay into three. The parapet above the projecting cornice is in pressed buff brick.

Detail for 315 2nd AVE / Parcel ID 5247800720 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: NR, LR Cladding(s): Brick, Stone - Ashlar/cut Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Business Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Masonry - Unreinforced No. of Stories: three Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce Integrity Changes to Windows: Intact Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Original Cladding: Slight Storefront: Slight Major Bibliographic References “Duncan Building, Historic Preservation Certification, Part I,” 22 November, 1978. OAHP, State of Washington, Olympia, Washington, Microfiche File. Terry, Roland of Aehle, Thurman and DeMers Architects. “re: Duncan Building,” Letter to John Myers of Technical Preservation Services. 31 May, 1979. OAHP, State of Washington, OAHP Microfiche File.

Photo collection for 315 2nd AVE / Parcel ID 5247800720 / Inv #

Photo taken Nov 02, 2004