Seattle Historical Sites

Summary for 219 S Washington ST S / Parcel ID 5247800940 / Inv #

Historic Name: Graham Block/ 219 S. Washington Street/ Union Gospel Mission Hotel Common Name: 219 S. Washington Street Style: Commercial, Italian - Italian Renaissance, Queen Anne - Richardsonian Romanesque Neighborhood: Pioneer Square Built By: Year Built: 1892   Significance In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). Dates for this building are given as 1892 or 1893. While these dates are possible, the tendency to divide the upper level with a grid and the general detailing suggest an earlier date, perhaps closer to that of its neighbor, the Washington Court, which dates from 1890. The building presents a very interesting Victorian façade, with slightly Venetian tendencies. It also forms a striking Victorian era ensemble with the former Lou Graham building, now the Washington Court Building to the east. This building, along with the neighboring 221 S. Washington Street, is shown as part of the Graham Block in a 1905 Baist map. Lou Graham, born Dorothea Ohben, was a famous Seattle Madame during the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. She became very wealthy and is credited with funding the construction of a large portion of Pioneer Square’s sidewalks, paid for with the profits from the work of her women employees. Graham's many landholdings were subsequently given to King County’s public school system. Please see 221 S. Washington Street, (Field No. 129), for more extensive information on Lou Graham.   Appearance This is a two story building with its only major façade on Washington Street. Its first level consists of storefront. The storefront is divided into three by thin ornamental columns. On close inspection, one of these appears to be cast-iron and the others of wood. The storefront level is surmounted by brick corbel ornamentation and above this, brick wall. At the second level, there are two bays, framed by brick piers. Each bay has an arched opening. Within each opening is a painted frame (probably of terra cotta or possibly of wood – the paint makes it hard to tell) with two arched openings. The curved spandrel above the two arched openings has a distinctive floral ornament, now painted gold. Below this is another floral ornament set on top of a vertical band, now also painted gold. Brick corbelling is also used to ornament the top of the parapet. Based on a photograph from before a renovation in the 1980s, the bottom storefront was reconstructed and the wood columns are faithful reproductions of the original cast-iron ones. To accommodate various tenants, the central storefront has been made a bay front, with the two side bays recessed. The overall impression, however, is true to the style of the original building. The architectural fabric and detailing of the top level, however, although restored, appear to be virtually intact.

Detail for 219 S Washington ST S / Parcel ID 5247800940 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory Classication: Building District Status: NR, LR Cladding(s): Brick, Metal, Wood Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured Roof Type(s): Flat with Parapet Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition, Unknown Building Type: Commercial/Trade - Business Plan: Rectangular Structural System: Masonry - Unreinforced No. of Stories: two Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Social Movements & Organizations Integrity Storefront: Moderate Changes to Original Cladding: Intact Changes to Plan: Intact Changes to Windows: Intact Major Bibliographic References Brians, Ann Elizabeth. Indomitable Pioneer Square. Master of Urban Planning Thesis, University of Washington, Seattle, 1973. 219 Washington Street (sic), Historic Preservation Certification Application, Part 1,” 29 December 1983, p 1. Baist, William. Baist’s Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Seattle, Wash. Philadelphia: W. G. Baist, 1905. City of Seattle, Department of Neighborhoods, Historic Preservation Program Files.

Photo collection for 219 S Washington ST S / Parcel ID 5247800940 / Inv #

Photo taken Jun 09, 2004 Photo taken Jun 09, 2004