VintageSeattle.org

Update 5/16/07: Added four more photos from the building. Had a chance this past weekend to go out and shoot some of my favorite buildings in the city. Some you probably know of, some maybe not. Let’s start out with one that is literally close to home (next street over from my apartment): The Troy Laundry Building. You can find it in South Lake Union at 307 Fairview Ave. N. It’s a 1927 Beaux Arts / Neoclassical building designed by Victor Voorhees. Western and northern additions came in 1944 and 1946. By this time, the Troy Laundry plant was the largest such operation in the Pacific Northwest. Currently the building is being used as a newspaper rack storage facility by the Seattle Times and is a City of Seattle landmark. I’d love to see the building restored and it would probably make a nice office space of some sort. What do you think?

Wide angle shot of the front of the building. I will have to revisit this shot in winter when trees are not obscuring the facade.	Right hand side of the building. Notice the intricate brick pattern detailing and beautiful terra cotta trim.
Entrance to the building with Troy Laundry sign above (sans letter U). Just inside the entrance, paint is peeling from the ceiling.	Troy Building sign. Now that’s vintage… and in contrast to the 1966 cinder block addition.
Side of building with loading docks. The building is now full of Seattle Times newspaper racks and odds and ends. The Seattle Times building is just across the street.	This image is telling. The transition from the original 1927 building to the 1944 addition is harsh. A lot can change in less than 20 years.
Southeast corner of the building. Most of the signs are rusting away and many windows are boarded up.	Northwest corner of building. This is the current loading dock for the Seattle Times racks. Signs refer to it as the “rack shop.”
This bird also happened to be scoping out the building. Inside, items are stacked up against the windows.	More trim details. Peering into this window gives you a good idea of the level of dilapidation.

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