| Historic Name: |
Air Defense Command Operations Building |
Common Name: |
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| Style: |
Vernacular |
Neighborhood: |
Magnolia |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1960 |
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| Significance |
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Fort Lawton is located in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood, within the area that is now Discovery Park. Established as a U.S. Army post in 1898, the fort had been envisioned by local residents and businessmen as a major regimental post, with the hope that it would enhance the local economy and the city’s status in its ongoing competition with Tacoma to the south. Upon selection of the site, local landowners donated more than 700 acres for the fort. By 1900, construction of the first seven permanent, wood-frame buildings on the site was completed.
While local aspirations for the fort were slow to be realized, initial construction continued through 1910, at which time there was an assembly of 25 buildings set around an oval-shaped parade ground. While Fort Lawton never became as large or influential as Seattle residents had anticipated, during World War II it was the second-largest port of embarkation on the West Coast. After the 1940s, the use of the fort declined again and many of the temporary and wartime buildings were removed. The Army stayed on until 1972, at which time it transferred ownership of a portion of Fort Lawton to the City of Seattle.
A large portion of the post, including its historic core area, with 25 buildings and parade ground, was surplused by the Army and added to Discovery Park in the mid-1970s. The Fort Lawton Historic District was nominated to and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The City of Seattle designated Fort Lawton as a local historic district in 1988.
The Fort Lawton Historic District is associated with the development and the history of the City of Seattle; and embodies the characteristics of military interpretations of American architectural styles of the 1890s and early 1900s, based on standard Quartermaster General building designs, as well as its planned site. The period of significance for the Fort Lawton Historic District extends from its inception in 1898 to 1945, based on the development of the post, with additional buildings and site features resulting from the Depression-era public works, and the fort's role in WWII.
Building 653, Air Defense Command Operations Building, was constructed after the period of significance of the Fort Lawton Historic District and is therefore a non-contributing building. It is located near the center of Officers' Row, in the area that was part of the Nike Air Defense System, and was likely constructed to provide maintenance and operational support for the radar array installed in 1959 (Johnson Partnership, "Appendix A," p.8). The building was deactivated in 1974.
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| Appearance |
| Building 653 – Air Defense Command Operations Building
(Constructed 1960)
This building is located near the center of Officers' Row, in the area that was part of the Nike Air Defense System, and was likely constructed to provide maintenance and operational support for the radar array installed in 1959 (Johnson Partnership, "Appendix A," p.8).
The one-story, reinforced concrete block structure is L-shaped with overall dimensions of approximately 94' by 83'. It is slab on grade. Walls are 13' tall and 8" thick. A minimally-sloped, gabled roof shelters the building and is finished with membrane roofing. According to the Johnson Partnership's "Appendix A" report (2004), the interior is utilitarian. Interior finishes included concrete floors, plaster walls with some protective wainscoting, and suspended acoustical ceiling. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
NR, LR |
| Cladding(s): |
Concrete |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Gable |
Roof Material(s): |
Other |
| Building Type: |
Defense - Military facility |
Plan: |
L-Shape |
| Structural System: |
Concrete - Block |
No. of Stories: |
one |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Community Planning/Development, Military |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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Lentz, Florence, et al. "Historic American Buildings Survey, Fort Lawton." U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, Pacific Northwest Region, 1981.
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Kavanaugh, Major Robert E. "Fort Lawton." National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, January 1978.
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Mann, Millegan, Morse and Ramsey. "Fort Lawton Buildings: A Survey and Report, Prepared for City of Seattle Parks and Recreation." August 15, 1975.
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Johnson Partnership. "Appendix A - Three Buildings in Discovery Park." Prepared for Seattle Dept. of Parks and Recreation, September 2004.
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