Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 1705 Belmont AVE / Parcel ID 131105-0000 / Inv #

Historic Name: Charbern, The Common Name: Charbern, The Style: Tudor Neighborhood: Capitol Hill Built By: Year Built: 1925   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places. In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. This large building was designed in 1925 by architect John A. Creutzer for Charles F. Tregoning. Tregoning owned two companies, the Tregoning Board Co.. In Ballard and the Tregoning Manufacturing Co., which made and sold millwork, doors, glass and other building components. Architect John Creutzer arrived in Seattle in 1906 after practicing in Minneapolis and Spokane. He worked for contractor Alexander Pearson and architect-contractor Henderson Ryan before opening his own practice. He designed many apartments, espcailly in the Capitol Hill area, as well as the Swedish Tabernacle (1906) and the Medical-Dental Building (1927, with A. H. Albertson). He died in 1928. This is one of the larger examples of the many apartment buildings constructed in the 1920s, when Seattle experienced a major construction boom. The city's population had increased dramatically in previous decades, and prosperity encouraged developers to meet the pent-up demand for housing. Apartments, ranging from basic housing to luxury units, were a significant factor in meeting this need, and became a major element of the streetscape in many Seattle neighborhoods. West Capitol Hill and First Hill were particularly popular for apartment construction because of their easy streetcar access to downtown, and the vicinity became the densest in the city at that time.   Appearance This building is one of the largest older structures in the vicinity, at eight stories. It is of reinforced concrete with red brick cladding. Its plan is a shallow L, with a 13-foot wide lightwell along the rear property line, providing more light and air for the rear apartments. The entry, in the center of the main façade, has an elaborate surround of glazed cream colored-terra cotta, with a Tudor arch and the word "Charbern" above the doorway in terra cotta. The pair of windows immediately above the entry also have a terra cotta surround. Other terra cotta ornament includes the water table, a belt course below the second floor windows, sills on other windows and narrow belt course above and below the top story windows, as well as on the coping. The parapet rises in a stepped fashion at each corner and above the entry bay, with terra cartouches. Each of these is flanked by two pairs of attached columns extending from below the bottom of the top story above the parapet, which emphasizes the building's height and verticality. Windows are newer one-over-one sash, mostly in pairs; these replaced the original six-over-one sash.

Detail for 1705 Belmont AVE / Parcel ID 131105-0000 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: District Status: Cladding(s): Brick Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Unknown Building Type: Domestic - Multiple Family Plan: L-Shape Structural System: Concrete - Poured No. of Stories: eight Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture Integrity Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Slight Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Major Bibliographic References Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996. 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. City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.

Photo collection for 1705 Belmont AVE / Parcel ID 131105-0000 / Inv #

Photo taken May 11, 2006