National Building
Encyclopedia
The National Building is a historic warehouse building in downtown Seattle, Washington
, located on the east side of Western Avenue between Spring and Madison Streets in what was historically Seattle's commission district. It is now home to the Seattle Weekly. It is a six story plus basement brick building that covers the entire half-block. The dark red brick facade is simply decorated with piers capped with small Ionic
capitals and a small cornice, which is a reproduction of the original cornice. Kingsley & Anderson of Seattle were the architects.
The National Building was constructed from late 1904 to mid 1905 by the Northern Pacific Railway
as part of the road's multi-million dollar plan to improve their many Seattle properties and capitalize on the city's booming commission trade. One of the building's first tenants was the National Grocery Company which at first only occupied two of the building's eight stores and would later occupy the entire building, becoming its namesake. It would occupy the building until 1930. The building was later home many small manufacturing and distributing firms and has been an office building since the late 1960s.
The National Building individually was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on April 29, 1982 and became a city of Seattle landmark collectively with the Globe Building, Beebe Building and Hotel Cecil
one year later as "First Avenue Groups/Waterfront Center".
are defined by nine piers
which are expressed externally as pilasters, and terminated at the sixth story by large ionic
capitals
. Wall planes within each bay are recessed behind the nine pilasters and enriched with molded back surrounds at the sides and top. Fenestration is characterized by a regular system of horizontal window groupings, each consisting of four pivoting windows with transoms
. The window bands are separated vertically by wide, unadorned brick spandrels. Two of the bays include fire escapes.
The two side elevations incorporate four bays each, and are also defined by pilasters
with ionic capitals. Fenestration Includes pairs of square-shaped window openings within each bay at each of the upper five stories. Openings at the ground level of both elevators
include storefront windows, small windows and doorways.
The east, or Post Avenue, elevation is relatively undistinguished and includes a simple
series of horizontal window bands in the upper stories, and a loading dock with large
freight doors at the ground floor.
Several original elements, including a wide cornice
and all but two projecting marquee
s,
are presently missing from the building (these were restored during the building's renovations in 1982)."
wholesale grocer Julius C. Lang & Co. in order to acquire and merge two Seattle grocers, Sylvester Brothers & Co. and the Louch-Augustine Co. The new company moved into the Sylvester Brothers' former location at Occidental and Main Streets in the Union Trust Building
. By 1904 they were one the leading wholesale grocery companies in the Pacific Northwest with 15 traveling salesman on the payroll and their trade extending to Alaska
and British Columbia
.
In 1904, Northern Pacific subsidiary the Northwest Improvement Company hired the Seattle architectural firm of William Kingsley and Joseph Anderson to design two four story brick warehouses that would face each other on Western Avenue between Spring and Madison Streets in the heart of the city's produce district. Each building, costing about $200,000, would have ample lighting, ten freight elevators, and facilities for moving and storing heavy goods. In the end, only the National Building was built at height. One of the first companies to sign up for the as-of-yet unbuilt building was the National Grocery Company who had outgrown their small space in Pioneer Square. They leased the southern 40% of the building. As more tenants lined up to lease space in the buildings, Northern Pacific responded by adding two more floors to each building's plans. Both buildings were completed by early 1905 and realizing the potential, Northern Pacific would build many more warehouses on Western Avenue over the following years.
that gave better access to trucks and trains. During this time many warehouses along Western Avenue fell vacant and many more were demolished for parking lots. The National Building was the oldest remaining warehouse of the many that the Northern Pacific built.
In the early 1980s, the building was acquired by Cornerstone Development Corporation who proceeded to nominate it for the National Register of Historic Places (It was deemed ineligible in a 1979 survey) and began restoring the building for use as offices. When completed they sold the building for $2.16 million to San Francisco-based Seattle Waterfront Associates who as part of their Waterfront Center offices project. The building was added to the Register of April 29, 1982, the same day as the Globe Building, Beebe Building and Hotel Cecil
which occupied the other half of the block. One year later the entire block became a City of Seattle landmark under the title "First Avenue Groups/Waterfront Center".
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, located on the east side of Western Avenue between Spring and Madison Streets in what was historically Seattle's commission district. It is now home to the Seattle Weekly. It is a six story plus basement brick building that covers the entire half-block. The dark red brick facade is simply decorated with piers capped with small Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
capitals and a small cornice, which is a reproduction of the original cornice. Kingsley & Anderson of Seattle were the architects.
The National Building was constructed from late 1904 to mid 1905 by the Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
as part of the road's multi-million dollar plan to improve their many Seattle properties and capitalize on the city's booming commission trade. One of the building's first tenants was the National Grocery Company which at first only occupied two of the building's eight stores and would later occupy the entire building, becoming its namesake. It would occupy the building until 1930. The building was later home many small manufacturing and distributing firms and has been an office building since the late 1960s.
The National Building individually was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on April 29, 1982 and became a city of Seattle landmark collectively with the Globe Building, Beebe Building and Hotel Cecil
Globe Building, Beebe Building and Hotel Cecil
The Globe Building, Beebe Building and the Hotel Cecil are a trio of historic office/hotel buildings in downtown Seattle, Washington. The buildings occupy the entire west side of the 1000 block of 1st Avenue between Madison and Spring Streets...
one year later as "First Avenue Groups/Waterfront Center".
Appearance
This architectural description of the National building was written for its National Register nomination in 1982: "The Western Avenue facade consists of eight bays encompassing storefronts at the ground story, and horizontal window bands in the upper five stories. The baysBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
are defined by nine piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
which are expressed externally as pilasters, and terminated at the sixth story by large ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
. Wall planes within each bay are recessed behind the nine pilasters and enriched with molded back surrounds at the sides and top. Fenestration is characterized by a regular system of horizontal window groupings, each consisting of four pivoting windows with transoms
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
. The window bands are separated vertically by wide, unadorned brick spandrels. Two of the bays include fire escapes.
The two side elevations incorporate four bays each, and are also defined by pilasters
with ionic capitals. Fenestration Includes pairs of square-shaped window openings within each bay at each of the upper five stories. Openings at the ground level of both elevators
include storefront windows, small windows and doorways.
The east, or Post Avenue, elevation is relatively undistinguished and includes a simple
series of horizontal window bands in the upper stories, and a loading dock with large
freight doors at the ground floor.
Several original elements, including a wide cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
and all but two projecting marquee
Marquee
Marquee may refer to:* A large tent, open-sided and installed outdoors for temporary functions* "Marquee", a song by Superchunk from their 1997 album Indoor Living* Marquee Cinemas, a movie theater chain in the United States...
s,
are presently missing from the building (these were restored during the building's renovations in 1982)."
National Grocery Company
The National Grocery Company was formed in late 1902 by Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
wholesale grocer Julius C. Lang & Co. in order to acquire and merge two Seattle grocers, Sylvester Brothers & Co. and the Louch-Augustine Co. The new company moved into the Sylvester Brothers' former location at Occidental and Main Streets in the Union Trust Building
Union Trust Building (Seattle)
The Union Trust Building on the corner of Main Street and Occidental Way South in Seattle, Washington, USA, was one of the first rehabilitated buildings in the Pioneer Square neighborhood, now officially a historic district...
. By 1904 they were one the leading wholesale grocery companies in the Pacific Northwest with 15 traveling salesman on the payroll and their trade extending to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Building site
In the 1890s, The Northern Pacific Railway had acquired large strips of narrow land between Seattle's downtown and the railroad tracks, mostly reclaimed tideland. Their goal was to locate the railroad's terminus here but strong local opposition made them reconsider, eventually leading to the construction of a tunnel and King Street Station. With their original plans scrapped, Northern Pacific rented the property to wholesalers and produce distributors which quickly became a success. Northern Pacific decided to capitalize on this and planned to replace the ramshackle tin buildings with permanent brick warehouses that could be rented to large wholesale firms.In 1904, Northern Pacific subsidiary the Northwest Improvement Company hired the Seattle architectural firm of William Kingsley and Joseph Anderson to design two four story brick warehouses that would face each other on Western Avenue between Spring and Madison Streets in the heart of the city's produce district. Each building, costing about $200,000, would have ample lighting, ten freight elevators, and facilities for moving and storing heavy goods. In the end, only the National Building was built at height. One of the first companies to sign up for the as-of-yet unbuilt building was the National Grocery Company who had outgrown their small space in Pioneer Square. They leased the southern 40% of the building. As more tenants lined up to lease space in the buildings, Northern Pacific responded by adding two more floors to each building's plans. Both buildings were completed by early 1905 and realizing the potential, Northern Pacific would build many more warehouses on Western Avenue over the following years.
Later years and restoration
The National Grocery Company moved out of the National building in 1930 but the name of the building stuck. Small produce distributors remained in the building along with a rotating mix of small shops, distributors and offices up until the 1960s when many companies left downtown for newly developed industrial areas south of downtown and in TukwilaTukwila, Washington
Tukwila is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The northern edge of Tukwila borders the city of Seattle. The population was 19,107 at the 2010 census.-History:...
that gave better access to trucks and trains. During this time many warehouses along Western Avenue fell vacant and many more were demolished for parking lots. The National Building was the oldest remaining warehouse of the many that the Northern Pacific built.
In the early 1980s, the building was acquired by Cornerstone Development Corporation who proceeded to nominate it for the National Register of Historic Places (It was deemed ineligible in a 1979 survey) and began restoring the building for use as offices. When completed they sold the building for $2.16 million to San Francisco-based Seattle Waterfront Associates who as part of their Waterfront Center offices project. The building was added to the Register of April 29, 1982, the same day as the Globe Building, Beebe Building and Hotel Cecil
Globe Building, Beebe Building and Hotel Cecil
The Globe Building, Beebe Building and the Hotel Cecil are a trio of historic office/hotel buildings in downtown Seattle, Washington. The buildings occupy the entire west side of the 1000 block of 1st Avenue between Madison and Spring Streets...
which occupied the other half of the block. One year later the entire block became a City of Seattle landmark under the title "First Avenue Groups/Waterfront Center".
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in King County, Washington#Seattle
- List of landmarks in Seattle
External links
- National Grocery Co. building, 1000-1012 Western Ave. at Marion St., Seattle. (1910) - University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
Digital Collections.