Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 83 S King ST S / Parcel ID 7666206895 / Inv #

Historic Name: Seattle Hardware Company Building Common Name: Seattle Hardware Company Building Style: Commercial - Chicago School Neighborhood: Pioneer Square Built By: Year Built: 1904   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). This building was built in 1904 as a combination warehouse and office by Albert Wickersham, responsible for several interesting buildings in the Pioneer Square area, including the Maynard Building which bears some resemblance. The Seattle Hardware Company Building is the first monumentally scaled office-warehouse to be constructed in the district during the period of economic and industrial growth in the 1900s. Along with the buildings in its near vicinity, it formed an extension of the original heart of the district. Typical of all of these buildings, is the clear base, middle and top, following the model for warehouse/ office buildings, established by the Chicago School. The component bays ending in arched openings and with stone spandrels are very typical of many of the buildings of the same period and significance and define striking facades for buildings that were in fact utilitarian buildings. Albert Wickersham arrived in Seattle in 1889 as a representative of A. B. Jennings, a New York architect. He was the Supervising Architect on the initial phases of the Denny Hotel in Seattle, later demolished thanks to the Denny Regrade. He had an independent practice by 1893. Despite the work on the Maynard Building for Dexter Horton, he appears to have received few commissions outside of the Seattle Hardware Company Building and the Maynard Building that allowed him to showcase his full design capabilities. He was also the architect of the former Yesler Hotel, now the Pioneer Square Hotel, completed in 1914.   Appearance Virtually rectangular in plan with a west elevation angled toward Alaskan Way, this eight story building has, on its east and north facades, a double-height storefront level, mainly clad in sandstone, topped by six floors in light brown brick. It ends in a parapet emphasized by a ornamental corbel band and stone coping . Delineating the bays and separate storefronts are sandstone piers, which are rectangular in plan with rounded edges. In a few places, as part of the storefront renovation and structural strengthening of the building, which included the introduction of a steel lintel, smaller piers were replaced with matching piers in painted concrete. The storefront level is surmounted by a sandstone cornice/ belt-course, which includes a dentil band. Above this, six stories consist of similar recessed bays, each a vertical row with five single trabeated openings topped by an arched one. The east elevation on First Avenue South has nine bays, while the King Street elevation is very long: nineteen bays. The west elevation is similar to the east elevation. The south elevation is common bond masonry with segmental arch window openings. A distinctive element of the building is the corner entry at First Avenue South and King Street, with a large round stone column set at the actual “corner.” Affixed to the column is a metal plaque that says : “Seattle Hardware Company.” The actual door hardware and design behind this column are modern. The building retains the most important features and materials from its original design, while doors and hardware and storefronts have been replaced by sleekly detailed modern replacements. The building also has a later annex, which dates from 1923 (Field No. 174). The building exterior was damaged by the Nisqually Earthquake of 2001 and has been restored since then.

Detail for 83 S King ST S / Parcel ID 7666206895 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: NR, LR Cladding(s): Concrete, Metal, Stone, Brick - Common Bond Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured, Other Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition, Unknown Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Warehouse Plan: Irregular Structural System: Masonry - Unreinforced No. of Stories: seven Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Manufacturing/Industry Integrity Storefront: Moderate Changes to Original Cladding: Slight Changes to Windows: Slight Changes to Plan: Intact Major Bibliographic References Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, ed. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994. King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972. Krafft, Katheryn Hills, “Pioneer Square – Skid Road Historic District (Boundary Increase),” submitted 15 December, 1987 and approved 6 May, 1988.

Photo collection for 83 S King ST S / Parcel ID 7666206895 / Inv #

Photo taken Jun 16, 2004