Today the Landmarks Preservation Board met to decide the ultimate fate of the former Coca-Cola bottling plant at 1313 E. Columbia. This handsome Art Deco / Moderne facility was built in 1939 for Coca-Cola, designed by architects Jesse Shelton and John Graham Sr (the latter was also known for designing the Frederick and Nelson building, the Roosevelt Hotel, and Dexter Horton Building). In 1974 the building changed hands and was used by NW Bell Telephone Company. The site is now owned by Seattle University, who plans to use the building in the short term as a temporary library replacement. However, in the proposed Master Plan for the next twenty years, the University is proposing to raise the allowable height in the block to 65 feet — allowing a building far taller than the Coca-Cola facility. You know what that means. It reminds me of the area’s Wonder Bread Bakery building demolished last year to build a particularly atrocious apartment building — though the Coca-Cola building is in far better condition. You can read the whole nomination report here. So what did the Landmarks Preservation Board decide?  As it  turns out, they did vote unanimously to designate the site and the exterior of the building a landmark. This is just the first step in this process and does not, by any means, signal that the building is safe from demolition. Stay tuned.

Coca-Cola bottling plant shown in 1940. Image courtesy UW Special Collections.	The same view from the 1941 tax assessor’s photo.
North entrance to the building.	Alternate angle of north entrance.
Northwest corner.	Looking north along 14th Ave.
East entrance.	Window detail along east face.
Looking south along east facade.	Southeast corner.

It’s been a while since we’ve reported on significant local homes for sale. With this slow market there’s a whole slew of interesting houses waiting to be scooped up. While we steer clear of any Susan Picht homes, Anna and I were able to tour the 1909 gem located at 943 19th Ave. If you’ve walked around Capitol Hill’s tree lined residential areas, you know this street is straight out of the turn of the century and almost untouched. This particular 2,920 square foot, 4 bed, 2.25 bath home is going for $1,198,000. View my photos below and hit the listing if you need more information.

Looking up toward the home. This classic Capitol Hill neighborhood sports a lot of mature vegetation.	Viewing the large porch as you enter the home.
Hydrangeas around the side of the house.	Back porch. To the right is a secluded hot tub and a large garage.
Front living room.	Formal dining room with box-beam ceiling.
Kitchen with high end appliances and tasteful finishes.	Second floor bathroom.
The master bedroom is elongated with a reading area and two closets.	This front balcony is right off of the master bedroom.

Way back when Vintage Seattle was a mere two days old, we reframed a 1921 photo and modern day view of Capitol Hill’s Fire Station No. 7. I wanted to add to that feature with this hi-res 1920 architectural drawing. Speaking of that post, at the time Dave wrote “Is this Paul Dorpat’s blog??” Well I know I’m 15 months late in answering this, but no it isn’t Paul Dorpat’s blog (that’s here). However, I am a fan of his work and he actually stopped by to comment earlier this month. I thought that was cool.

Architectural drawings for Capitol Hill’s Fire Station No. 7. Circa 1920. Image courtesy University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division.