The Torrington. Architectural rendering, 1935, Edward Osborn, Seattle Washington. There is no record that The Torrington was ever built. Image courtesy U.W. University Libraries Digital Collection.
The Torrington 1935
June 14th, 2011 @ 12:02 am by Cliffe | Sorted Historic Buildings |
The Torrington. Architectural rendering, 1935, Edward Osborn, Seattle Washington. There is no record that The Torrington was ever built. Image courtesy U.W. University Libraries Digital Collection.
Since the design was rendered the midst of the first Great Depression, it is not surprising the Torrington was not built, but what a fantastic apartment building it would have been. I wonder what site in Seattle it was designed for. On top of Capitol Hill or another of the higher points in the city, the views from the upper apartment terraces would have been breathtaking! Even downtown, it would today be one of the most desirable apartment (probably now Condo) buildings in the city.
If the drawing’s background can be trusted, this looks to be located not far from Amazon’s headquarters on Beacon Hill. I wonder, was this proposed for that site before the hospital was built?
I was surprised that what I assumed was foliage below and all around the hotel turned out to be a sea of rooftops of small houses when I clicked in. As though this building had pushed up like a genetic mutation out of a great pond of residential sameness — a baby giant sprung from the seed of lumbermen’s shacks to tower over its parents.
I like Gavin’s surmise.
If you look at the original file (http://content.lib.washington.edu/u?/ac,1626) it includes this note:
“Handwritten on drawing:
The Torrington
E.T. Osborn, Architect
5109 Arcade Bldg., Seattle”
I spotted that too, Jen. I assume that is the location of the architect’s office, not the building. The Arcade Building was where SAM is now, I believe. Close, anyway. “5109″ seems an awfully high suite number. I can’t explain that away.
Wow, what a work of art and a shame it never came to be. I call dibs on the top 4 floors! And yes, on the solarium too.
Regarding the numbers, maybe it’s 510G instead of 5109? Just a guess…
What a beautiful building – wouldn’t it be neat to have that dominating the cap hill skyline. Those two open decks on either side of the top floor would have been spectacular. And I’ll bet that boo boo is right about the 510 g (rather than 5109) – it would be the architect’s address and the one shot I could find of the old Arcade Building where SAM is now shows it was only 5 stories tall.
On a trivial point, 5109 was probably the correct address. It is not uncommon, or it at least it wasn’t in the past, to use the floor number along with the suite or room number for an address. Thus the Osborne office was Suite 109, 5th Floor in the old and now sadly departed Arcade Building.