VintageSeattle.org

Instead of demolishing one of Seattle’s historic industrial icons, when developing the property that would become Alley 24 Vulcan Real Estate instead opted for adaptive re-use of The New Richmond Laundry Building. Every once in a while, developers realize that there is a market for and an acceptable way to meld the old and the new. Alley 24, located in South Lake Union at 224 Pontius Ave is a very nice example of this. As you’ll see from the photos, the new apartment building envelopes the old brick laundry building (which itself was used for townhomes). The laundry facility was built in 1917 and designed by architect Max Umbrecht (remember him from this great story?) and known then as Metropolitan Laundry. The solid brick building served the laundry industry until 1999 when it was vacated and designated a historic landmark. For more information on the history of the building and Seattle’s laundry industry, check out this site. Well, let’s take a close up look at the building. Click on the images… oh you know the deal by now.

The west face of the property. In the foreground is the New Richmond Laundry Building and in the background the new modern Alley 24 apartment building.	Alternate angle of the front facade. To the right is the walkway in between townhomes.
A closer look at the windows on the front side of the building.	Inspecting the entryway. The original rusting and structurally unsound overhang was replaced during renovation.
Walking east through the walkway, tasteful landscaping contrasts nicely with the industrial building.	The opposite wall of the walkway. Some sections of brick had to be replaced with newly poured concrete foundation.

Dive bar it isn’t, that Tom A. Williams Bar and Billiards establishment. This undated vintage advertisement probably comes from some time in the early 1900’s and is a nice visual insight into watering holes from that era. In addition to the mounted moose head across from the bar, Williams also elected to have a couple of them on all fours — hooves and all. Sometimes one moose head just isn’t enough. Also note the creative seafairing pattern near the crown molding. Playing to the clientele down there on First Ave, smart move. Click on the image for the full resolution version.

Tom A. Williams Bar and Billiards. 614 First Avenue. Seattle, Wash.

The Player O The Week this week is instead the Team O The Week. And O is it gonna excite you. Grabbing the honor is the 1980 Seattle Mariners! We’ve got the Topps card from that year on display along with the team checklist. You can check off your favorite player, including the infamous Mario Mendoza. You probably know his contribution to the sport through the “Mendoza Line” term — when a player is under a .200 batting average. O our Mariners, they know just how to leave a lasting impression on the sport. The 1980 Mariners had a winning percentage of just .364 (winning 59 games and losing 103). Not a great year but let’s check out the image anyway. Click on the image for a high-res copy.

Front: 1980 Seattle Mariners. Mgr. Darrell Johnson.

Back: Mariners Team Checklist. 1980 Topps Chewing Gum, Inc.

A few weeks ago I noticed that one of the older Victorian homes on First Hill surrounded by medical buildings was for sale. If you regularly travel Pill Hill you probably have seen the striking color scheme at the corner of Boren and Columbia. Over the weekend, Wendy Lister and Nicole Carr showed me around this property at 1023 Columbia Street and this one is a stunner. At a sale price of a cool $2.86 million, this is not an ordinary piece of real estate. The home was built in 1888 and features 3,800 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4 bath, and 3 fireplaces. It is currently used as a law office and home for its owner. According to the listing, “the owner and the designer worked together to create a perfect nine color dimension; it was a two year color coding and painting process with exacting precision and historical references.” This kind of attention to detail can be seen throughout the whole property. Have a look for yourself and see what I mean. Click on the thumbnails for larger views. Once again, thanks to Wendy Lister and Nicole Carr for giving me access to the property. If you are interested, please view the listing here for more information.

This 1888 Seattle home is a Second Empire Style landmark, in an area where most homes from this era are long gone. According to Historic Seattle, the residence was moved from the corner of Boren and Cherry years ago to save it from demolition.	A view of the West face of the home. Wood shingle siding with precise color coding dominates all sides of the residence.
The floor-to-ceiling windows on the first story feature hoods above them on the East side of the structure. Also notice the French Curb bracketed cornice.	The back face of the building highlights the signature Second Empire mansard roof with patterned slate tile. This type of roof enables a living space in the top floor rather than wasted attic space.
A view of the bathroom on the first floor. As you can see, the interior has mostly modern touches.	The entryway just as you enter the home. A living room is off to the left and the kitchen to the far end.
The basement area is quite cavernous. Each floor, even the top “attic” space, has a bathroom.	The living room on the first floor of the home. The floor-to-ceiling windows bathe the interior in light.
The basement also features a library/workout room enabling you to read while you exercise. Not an 1888 notion.	Another living area with woodworking and fireplace. This is one of the three fireplaces in the home.

We’re going back, back, back… way back for this one. Back past the Mariners. Past even the Pilots. The Vintage Seattle Player O The Week goes to Spencer, the catcher for the 1911 Northwestern League Seattle Baseball Club. He’s described as a player who “always catches good ball and infuses plenty of pepper into the game.” The card was made by the American Tobacco Company (advertising their Obak Cigarettes), who started including baseball cards in their cigarette packs in 1909. The most famous of these cards is considered the “Holy Grail” of card collectors, the Honus Wagner. Let’s put aside Honus for now though and examine the Spencer card. Click on the image for more resolution.

Front: Spencer, Seattle, N.W.L. 1911

Back: Spencer always catches good ball and infuses plenty of pepper into the game. Is a fine backstop and clever at tagging runners. Bats left handed, and ranks as a good hitter. Obak speaks quality in any company. Factory No 171 1st Dist, Cal.

You know, holiday shopping season is coming up… Oh forget the tie-in, it’s only November 1st. Let’s just go way back over 100 years for this vintage ad from The Argus dated December 22, 1900. It’s from Seattle’s MacDougall & Southwick Company advertising a holiday sale of boys’ clothing. Or, as the subtitle puts it, sweeping reductions that will enable you to give “some boy” a suitable and useful Christmas present. Some boy, any boy! They had boys’ reefers, vestees, long-pant suits… all at cut rate prices from two to five bucks. From what I can ascertain, MacDougall & Southwick opened up shop in 1874 and lasted until 1964, with several stores in the Puget Sound. Not a bad run. Here’s a shot of the store in 1929 and some women in 1924 trying on some clothes. Ok let’s take a look at the vintage ad. Click on it for more resolution. You know you want to.

The MacDougall & Southwick Company. First Avenue, Seattle, Wash. Holiday sales of boys’ clothing. The Argus, 1900.