Historic Name: |
El Cerrito |
Common Name: |
El Cerrito |
Style: |
Spanish - Eclectic |
Neighborhood: |
Eastlake |
Built By: |
|
Year Built: |
1930 |
|
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 is one of several Spanish-influenced apartment buildings in the Eastlake neighborhood. The architect, Everett J. Beardsley, was well known for his elegant Mediterranean Revival apartment designs. He came to Seattle in 1909 and specialized in apartment buildings, including the Hacienda in the Harvard-Belmont area, El Monterey in the University District and Villa Costella on Queen Anne. This building is rather blocky in massing compared to other Spanish Revival apartments, but is detailed with tile stairs, rough beams in the living rooms and art glass.
The Eastlake neighborhood, despite its small size, has a wide variety of land uses, including industry, maritime industry, marinas, large institutions, a dense commercial strip and single family homes. Its key location between Lake Union and Capitol Hill has long made it an important north/south route connecting downtown with the University of Washington and other neighborhoods. Streetcars began running here as early as 1885, making it a logical location for apartment living. The numerous older apartment buildings, including a significant cluster of bungalow courts, are typically small in scale to fit in with the single family homes.
|
|
|
Appearance |
The El Cerrito consists of two rectangular volumes stepping down the hillside , sited on the Lynn Street hillside. The lower one has a hipped roof and the upper one has a gabled roof, both clad with red clay tile. Cladding is white stucco. The main entry, near the junction of the two sections, is enclosed within a shed-roofed vestibule and is ornamented with bright-colored ceramic tile. Windows throughout are multipaned steel casement sash. The second floor on the south façade has two large arched windows with wrought iron grillwork. Most other windows are flat, arranged in pairs. The major windows have art glass details. There is a garage entry on the alley. |
|
|
Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
|
Cladding(s): |
Brick, Stucco |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
Roof Type(s): |
Gable, Hip |
Roof Material(s): |
Clay Tile |
Building Type: |
Domestic - Multiple Family |
Plan: |
Rectangular |
Structural System: |
Balloon Frame/Platform Frame |
No. of Stories: |
three |
Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture |
Integrity |
Changes to Plan: |
Intact |
Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
Changes to Original Cladding: |
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.
|
City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.
|
|
|