Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 76 S Main ST S / Parcel ID 52347800095 / Inv #

Historic Name: Boston Hotel/ Puget Sound Hotel Common Name: Boston Hotel/ Old Boston Hotel Style: Commercial, Various Neighborhood: Pioneer Square Built By: Year Built: 1907   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). According to King County Tax Assessor Record cards, the Boston Hotel building dates from 1907, although the Victorian style of some of the detailing makes it more typical of buildings constructed earlier, perhaps a few years after the Great Fire of 1889. On its ground floor, the building housed the Puget Sound Hardware Company, known for providing supplies to potential prospectors involved in the Klondike Gold Rush. The upper floors housed the Boston Hotel, which provided lodging to similar clientele. Historically, the building had a second address : “218 Railroad Avenue.”   Appearance This three story building with red brick exterior walls and stone trim is located on the northeast corner of Alaskan Way and Main Street. It is virtually rectangular in plan, but has an angled bay between its two primary facades on Main Street and on Alaskan Way. It is distinguished by storefront on the first floor of the Main Street façade, continuing past the doorway of the angled bay, into the first southern bay of the Alaskan Way façade. These storefronts include transom levels, topped by a projecting cornice. There is also a similar projecting cornice above trabeated openings at the north bays of the Alaskan Way elevation. The Main Street storefronts are also distinguished by several original cast-iron columns which separate storefront bays. All primary facades at the upper levels have trabeated openings, including five windows (per floor) facing Main Street, a single opening per floor on the angled bay, and ten along Alaskan Way. There is a thin stone belt-course, which doubles as a continuous sill below the second and third story windows. Lintels are also of stone, which constrasts in color with the red brick. The building exterior retains the most important architectural features, while others have been carefully replaced in kind or in keeping with the original design, following changes that have occurred over the years. The original metal cornice at the top of the building was removed in 1968 and never replaced. In 1980, the Main Street entry to the first floor was changed from a double to a single door entry, which provided access to offices on the second and third floors. The building was renovated and certified around 1990. It retained the business storefront on the ground floor, facing Main Street, while the interior on the upper levels has been modified to create apartments. The 1990s renovation also changed the Main Street entry back to a double door. Storefronts were restored to match the historical appearance of the original storefronts, with some small differences. In addition,the cornices above the first floor were rebuilt to match the profile of the original cornices, which were in disrepair. A penthouse, which is not visible (or hardly visible) from the street was also added.

Detail for 76 S Main ST S / Parcel ID 52347800095 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: NR, LR Cladding(s): Brick, Metal, Stone Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition Building Type: Domestic - Hotel Plan: Irregular Structural System: Masonry - Unreinforced No. of Stories: three Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Commerce, Social Movements & Organizations Integrity Changes to Original Cladding: Slight Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Slight Storefront: Slight Major Bibliographic References King County Tax Assessor Records, ca. 1932-1972. Brians, Ann Elizabeth. Indomitable Pioneer Square. Master of Urban Planning Thesis, University of Washington, Seattle, 1973. Brunner Jr., George David. “Old Boston Hotel, 76 S. Main Street, Historic Preservation Certification Application, Part 1,” 9 February 1990.

Photo collection for 76 S Main ST S / Parcel ID 52347800095 / Inv #

Photo taken Jun 08, 2004 Photo taken Jun 08, 2004