76-519: The Globe Building , Beebe Building and the Hotel Cecil are a trio of historic office/hotel buildings located in Downtown Seattle , Washington, United States. The buildings occupy the entire west side of the 1000 block of 1st Avenue between Madison and Spring streets. The three buildings were constructed from late 1900 to 1901 for Syracuse -based investors Clifford Beebe and William Nottingham by
152-696: A First Avenue extension) and the plans were quietly scaled back to a refurbishment of the existing Pacific Block. Shortly after the closure of the Puget Sound Electric Railway a $ 100,000 interior modernization of the Pacific Block was begun by B.L. Smith in October 1929 under the direction of architect Frank H. Fowler. A $ 400,000 mortgage was placed on the Smith Tower to fund the project. The project included new interior finishes, wiring and elevators and
228-664: A penny from the sale. With an almost complete turnover in management by 1895, the Seattle National Bank had left their building, relocating to the Haller Building at Second Avenue and Columbia Streets in what is still today Seattle's financial district. With ownership of the building in limbo new bank president E.W. Andrews placed the building in the hands of attorney James Clise, who was tasked with shopping it around to his numerous wealthy clients in New York. In December 1898
304-473: A popular office address as other nearby office buildings were converted to hotels or fell vacant. In August 1926 B.L. Smith announced plans to once again replace the Pacific Block, this time with a $ 2 million 18-story skyscraper. Smith said about the revival of the neighborhood at the time: Extension of Second Avenue South to Seattle Boulevard, which is now being ordered by the City Council, will greatly benefit
380-410: A single dwelling where Spring Street would later extend. Of note at the time was the existence of an inclined plane that ran up the north side of Madison Street to 1st. This ramp was to be used for rolling fire engines to collect water for fighting fires. By 1888 the block was filled with warehouses and small manufacturing businesses including a mattress factory. After the great fire, not much was built on
456-639: Is connected to Seattle Center by a monorail . Downtown Seattle's Columbia Center has 76 floors, a greater number than any other building west of the Mississippi River (although there are taller buildings in Texas and California ). Smith Tower , in the Pioneer Square area, once held the title of tallest American building west of the Mississippi. Other notable buildings are the 1201 Third Avenue (formerly
532-409: Is fairly compact compared with other city centers on the U.S. West Coast due to its geographical situation, being hemmed in on the north and east by hills , on the west by Elliott Bay , and on the south by reclaimed land that was once tidal flats . It is bounded on the north by Denny Way, beyond which are Lower Queen Anne (sometimes known as "Uptown"), Seattle Center , and South Lake Union ; on
608-594: Is the largest employment center in the Puget Sound region , with an estimated employee population of 243,995 in 2013, accounting for half of the city's jobs and 21 percent of King County jobs. Several Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Downtown Seattle include Amazon , Nordstrom , and Expeditors International . The United States Postal Service operates the Seattle Main Post Office (also known as
684-562: The Denny Party moved across the then-named Duwamish Bay in April 1852 to a low level marsh situated with a safe deep water harbor, located roughly in the city's Pioneer Square district. They named this new frontier "Duwamps". In the late 1850s, present day downtown Seattle became the main residential outskirts of the city. After the Great Seattle Fire , the business district was moved to
760-510: The Great Seattle fire in 1889, the 1000 block of 1st Avenue, like most property on the west side of that street at the time, was mostly water, with several small buildings built on pilings. In 1884, the most substantial structure on the site was a two-story wood frame building on the Northwest corner of 1st and Madison with an adjoining warehouse. Further up the block were several small stores and
836-579: The Klondike Gold Rush , and a high concentration of architects including Thomas G. Bird, Cutter & Malmgren, Henderson Ryan, P.J. Donohue, James Donnellan and Francis Barton. The Globe Navigation Company and James Clise would move their offices into the newly completed Globe Building at First and Madison Streets by the end of 1901 followed by the Seattle Savings Bank. Clise's vacancy would be filled in 1902 by W.E. Granger who chose Seattle as
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#1732854590445912-478: The Los Angeles area in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Seattle National Bank would vacate the building after only five years, followed by numerous legal battles between its owners, creditors and builders that ultimately led to the foreclosure of the building. It came under the ownership of New York industrialist Lyman Cornelius Smith who would rename it the Pacific Block in 1899. From 1904 to 1928,
988-692: The Pacific Block in Pioneer Square, soon to be followed by many other tenants from that building, reflecting the northward migration of Seattle's business core. Besides the offices of the Globe Navigation and Clise investment Companies, other early upstairs tenants included the Pacific Packing and Navigation Company, The Seattle News-Letter office, The New York Commercial Co. and the Centennial Mill Co. Architect Max Umbrecht moved his own offices into
1064-601: The Pike Place Market . Following a major restoration in early 1982, the buildings were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1983, the buildings were collectively listed as Seattle City Landmarks under the title "First Avenue Groups/Waterfront Center". Since September 10, 1982, the buildings have been operated as the Alexis Hotel , operated as of December 2020 by Sonesta Hotels. Prior to
1140-589: The Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle , Washington, United States. Built from 1890 to 1891 for the then recently formed Seattle National Bank, it is one of the finest examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in the Pacific Northwest and has been cited by local architects as one of the most beautiful buildings in downtown Seattle. It was the breakthrough project of young architect John Parkinson , who would go on to design many notable buildings in
1216-530: The Puget Sound Electric Railway 's Seattle–Tacoma interurban line terminated in front of the building and the former bank lobby was used as a ticket office and waiting room. The building was threatened with demolition several times in the 1910s and 1920s but plans to replace the building with a skyscraper always fell, though. The building underwent a major interior modernization beginning in 1929 under L.C. Smith's heirs, which included demolition of
1292-507: The 1000 block and nothing more would be built as the Panic of 1893 took hold of the economy. 1893 Sanborn Maps show only the one-story brick building (filling the footprint of the Globe Building) with a double basement occupying the Northwest corner of 1st and Madison built by Jensen & Koch immediately after the fire. The Seattle Brass Foundry occupied a small brick building behind it. Seattle
1368-572: The Burke Building at Second Avenue and Marion Street upon its completion. The bank soon decided to have their own building built instead, with several shareholders headed by Ballard and Luther H. Griffith (no-relation to the bank president) forming the Seattle National Bank Building Company in April 1890 in order to keep the bank's finances separate from the building. It also allowed them to issue bonds to Griffith's own firm,
1444-606: The Clise Investment Company, headed by businessman James Clise (1855–1938), as a result of the Alaska Gold Rush which fueled the construction of many such buildings in downtown Seattle. All three buildings were designed in Italian Renaissance Style for Clise by Max Umbrecht (1872–1955), a mostly residential architect who came to Seattle around 1900 from Syracuse, New York where he had worked briefly in
1520-586: The Globe Navigation Company to which Nottingham held a large interest. Nottingham and Clise filed a permit for a four-story building at the Northwest corner of 1st Avenue and Madison Street in March 1901, replacing the single-story brick Jensen-Koch Building. The building's upper floors originally contained 38 offices each. Upon completion of the building in November 1901, Clise relocated his main offices there from
1596-540: The Interurban Building as well as most of Pioneer Square was once part of the 1852 donation land claim of Henry Yesler and as the city grew he would gradually sell off or lease lots to prospective settlers as he needed the funds. By the late 1880s the lots at what was then the Southeast corner of Mill Street and Second Avenue South, still owned by Yesler, were covered by a collection of wooden shacks and lodging houses,
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#17328545904451672-514: The Lake Washington Cable Railway Company. The sale price was $ 85,000 in a deal that would have the buyers paying $ 75,000 up front and the remainder on January 1, 1890, with the shrewd Yesler insisting on holding onto the property in the interim to continue collecting valuable rent on the tenants and delaying the buyer's intentions of building a large brick building on the site. Yesler would use the proceeds from this sale to fund
1748-764: The Midtown Post Office ) at 301 Union Street at Third Avenue. Seattle City Hall is located at 600 4th Ave, adjacent to the King County Courthouse . Downtown is serviced by the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel , which carries Link light rail trains between Westlake and Chinatown–International District. The terminus for the Seattle Center Monorail is located at Westlake Center. A large number of bus lines also run through; those operated by Metro were previously free of charge while in
1824-586: The Seattle Lighting Company and a stockholder in several of Clise's interests. Construction began in late 1900 and was completed on both buildings by late 1901. The 6-story building cost $ 100,000 while the 4-story building, finished last, cost $ 65,000. The first tenants of the building's ground and second level (as well as its two sub-basements) was the prominent Z.C. Miles & Piper Company, a home furnishing store begun in Seattle in 1870. From construction,
1900-538: The Seattle National Bank Building was bought for $ 152,000 by Syracuse, New York banker and industrialist Lyman Cornelius Smith who, through his agent/attorney James Clise had amassed a large portfolio of Seattle buildings and land that he and his heirs would improve over the next decade culminating with the construction of the Smith Tower . Smith insisted on owning both building and the land whose title
1976-527: The Seattle National would be the only to survive the Panic of 1893 , proving their financial security. Things would not go so well for the bank's president and building owners though; in late 1890 Griffith resigned as president from his mortgage company, after butting heads with shareholders who were not agreeable to his Seattle projects and as a result payments from bonds issued to the building company became scarce and unpaid contractors and suppliers and even
2052-422: The Smith Tower. Dubbed the B.L. Smith Building, construction would have begun as soon as the Smith Tower was completed but little else was mentioned of this project after the initial announcement. In the mid 1920s, the 2nd Avenue Extension project had stirred a brief revival in Pioneer Square real estate and despite the loss of foot traffic that the interurban had generated for the area, the Pacific Block remained
2128-600: The Washington Mutual Tower), Two Union Square , Nordstrom 's flagship store , Benaroya Hall , the Seattle Central Library designed by Rem Koolhaas , and the main building of the Seattle Art Museum (built 1991, expanded 2007), the main facade of which was designed by Robert Venturi . Downtown parks include Westlake Park , Freeway Park , and Victor Steinbrueck Park . The Olympic Sculpture Park
2204-478: The Western Farm Mortgage Trust Company, that they would pay back with interest for the building's construction without causing a conflict of interest. During this time they purchased the lot for their new building from Fred E. Sander, who still held an option on the now vacant property and had put it up for sale that February advertising it as the finest business lot in the city. The same month
2280-404: The architect soon came forward with liens against the building. The building company subsequently mortgaged the building to Griffith's former company in exchange for Promissory notes to quell their suppliers but these too went partially unpaid. Suspecting a personal grudge as a result of Griffith's involvement with them, the building company in turn joined numerous other firms in a lawsuit against
2356-402: The area. Several of the city's hills around downtown were regraded starting around 1876. With about 65,000 people living in Seattle's core neighborhoods as of 2015, the downtown area's population is growing. Downtown saw a 10 percent increase in the number of occupied housing units and an 8 percent increase in population between 2010 and 2014, outpacing growth in the city as a whole. As of
Globe Building, Beebe Building and Hotel Cecil - Misplaced Pages Continue
2432-477: The basement was converted into a parking garage which it is still used as today. Upon completion the building was renamed the Smith Tower Annex. At the same time what had been known previously as the L.C. Smith Building was officially renamed the Smith Tower. Following B.L. Smith's passing in 1941, the Smith Tower Annex remained in his estate until January 1945 when both it and the Smith Tower were offered to
2508-466: The building as living quarters allowed for quick detection and minimal damage. In February 1904 the old banking room was taken over by the Puget Sound Electric Railway for use as a ticket office and waiting room for the Seattle–Tacoma interurban line, which once again linked the building to developer Fred E. Sander who not only co-founded the railroad but had been responsible for purchasing most of
2584-476: The building company was formed they solicited for designs for a proposed 6-story building of brick, iron and stone, receiving plans from a dozen different architects. They ultimately chose the plans of then 28 year old John B. Parkinson , a relative newcomer to Seattle, who had recently dissolved his partnership with Cecil Evers with whom he had designed the Butler and Epler Blocks. The proposed bank and office building
2660-470: The building until 1901. The Seattle National Bank quickly became one of the wealthiest banks in the region, and within a year of opening had formed a network of banks in the Puget Sound region reaching as far as Port Townsend , Fairhaven and Pendleton, Oregon , each one managed with involvement from various employees of the home bank and Griffith's mortgage company. In some communities banks involved with
2736-591: The building upon completion. He was soon joined in the building by up and coming architect John Graham , who would eventually rise to be one of Seattle's greatest 20th century architects. In the corner office of the first floor, Clise opened the Washington Trust Company, which would later merge with the Dexter Horton Bank which would become part of Seafirst Bank . The Globe Building was the center of James Clise's business empire until 1917 when he built
2812-408: The building's construction and the final brick was officially laid on April 9, 1891, though there was still at least 3 months of interior work left to be done before tenants could begin to fill the building's 150 office rooms, which were already fully rented out by this time. The building was officially completed by September 1891 and tenants began to advertise the following month. Besides the banks,
2888-590: The building's lower floors were to be faced in Tenino bluestone but this was ultimately only used for the pier bases on the ground floor. The rest of the first and second floors were to be trimmed with red Colorado sandstone from the Kenmuir quarry near Colorado Springs , the site of which is now part of the Red Rock Canyon Open Space . The use of the stone was a novelty in Seattle at the time as local grey stone
2964-575: The building's upper floors were interconnected to serve as a hotel, the first of several being the Hotel Waldorf. Soon after opening it was renamed the Hotel Cecil (after the Hotel Cecil in London ). In November 1909, the building's owners hired Umbrecht, now in the firm of Spalding & Umbrecht, to completely remodel the two building's interiors. Each floor of the building will be entirely remodeled, making
3040-401: The city of Seattle for $ 75,000 and $ 900,000 respectively. The city floated the idea of converting the annex into a garage for city vehicles that would be connected to the Smith Tower by an underground tunnel, but they ultimately passed on buying the buildings. The building would eventually be purchased by realtor and developer Irving Baderman, who hired Henry Broderick, Inc. to manage it. From
3116-427: The door it is like going into a parlor. The different tellers are located on each side of the room, the patrons, or depositors, in the center. There are ten different departments, all facing each other, with beautiful openings for the tellers, like so many bay windows. The base of the counter is Tennessee marble and marble plates are at each opening or window for handing coin over. The wickets are of oxidized silver, and
Globe Building, Beebe Building and Hotel Cecil - Misplaced Pages Continue
3192-647: The earliest dating back to the late 1860s. Among these early hostelries and adjoining several Chinese laundrys was the Wisconsin House, located over the Star Saloon where it is said that anti-Chinese sentiment that culminated in the Seattle riot of 1886 began. In February 1889 Yesler sold the 2 lots to a group of investors consisting of J.M. Thompson, Fred E. Sander and George M. Boman, all three of which were involved with real estate development as well as having stakes in
3268-463: The early 1910s, the 6th floor of the Pacific Block became the construction headquarters for the nearby Smith Tower , containing the offices of supervising architect H.W. Thompson and contractor the Whitney-Steen Company. Construction of the Smith Tower had barely reached ground level when B.L. Smith announced plans to demolish the Pacific Block and replace it with a building equal in height to
3344-457: The east by Interstate 5 , beyond which is Capitol Hill to the northeast and Central District to the east; on the south by S Dearborn Street, beyond which is Sodo ; and on the west by Elliott Bay, a part of Puget Sound . Belltown , Denny Triangle , the retail district, the West Edge, the financial district, the government district, Pioneer Square , Chinatown , Japantown, Little Saigon, and
3420-472: The end of 2014, there were 32 apartment and 2 condominium projects under construction, representing over 5,000 units. In 1989, building heights in Downtown and adjoining Seattle suburbs were tightly restricted following a voter initiative. These restrictions were dramatically loosened in 2006, leading to the increase in high-rise construction. This policy change has divided commentators between those who support
3496-562: The end of World War II and into the early 1950s the building's upper floors were rented out by the U.S. Army, first to house the state offices of the Civil Aeronautics Authority and later the offices of the Seattle Port of Embarkation , their overseas supply division, air material office and the army and air force exchange services. In the early 1970s the building, which had become mostly vacant and infested with pigeons under
3572-555: The entire Southeast wing of the building. The building was renamed again to the Smith Tower Annex, which it would remain until its most recent restoration in the late 1970s after which it was renamed the Interurban Building as a nod to its role in local transportation. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 as a contributing property to the Pioneer Square Historic District . The site of
3648-510: The firm of Jeffery & Umbrecht. The two Northern buildings, both known at times as the Beebe buildings were built by Clise for owner Clifford D. Beebe, also of Syracuse while the Globe Building was built by Clise for William Nottingham's Globe Navigation Company. This group of buildings consist of the last contiguous block of 1900s buildings on 1st Avenue between the Pioneer Square district and
3724-610: The further construction of his Pioneer Block which had just broken ground. 4 months after the sale the Great Seattle Fire would clear the property and after a brief occupation by tents housing the burned-out businesses, the subsequent regrading in early 1890 would raise the streets 18 feet above the old ground level. The Seattle National Bank was incorporated in February 1889 with George W. E. Griffith as president, William Rankin Ballard as vice-president and Fred Warde as cashier. Griffith
3800-533: The ground floor was shared with a hardware store and a pawnbroker facing Occidental Way; the Monogram Saloon operated in the basement directly below the bank. The building's earliest upstairs tenants included dentists, brokers, realtors, art teachers and architect Parkinson's own office where he would remain until his removal to Los Angeles in 1894. Seattle's public night school opened on the building's second floor in 1892 with pupils in age ranging from 13 to 22, and
3876-491: The headquarters for his newly established Trans-Alaskan Railroad Company that was engaged in the race to build a railway connecting Iliamna Bay to the Bering Strait . He would use Seattle as a base for shipping construction materials to Alaska. The building was visited by fire several times in the early 1900s, but its proximity to the fire department headquarters and the fact that numerous tenants were using their offices in
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#17328545904453952-625: The hotel a strictly modern one. An entirely new arrangement is planned for the office and lobby. New fixtures will be installed and the walls wainscoted with marble and frescoed and the front altered. – The Seattle Times After operating sporadically for several years as the McFarland Hotel, it came under new management in 1921 and was reopened as the New Arlington Hotel, named after the Arlington Hotel located two blocks north owned by
4028-631: The increased density and those who criticize it as " Manhattanization ." As of 2018 , Downtown Seattle has 82,000 residents and 300,000 jobs, including 48,000 added since 2010 in the Denny Triangle area. The downtown area has 71 million square feet (6,600,000 m ) of office space, representing 79 percent of citywide inventory and 55 percent of commercial properties in the city. Office construction continues apace in Downtown Seattle, with 6.4 million square feet (590,000 m ) planned to open in 2019, along with 161 projects. Downtown Seattle
4104-410: The lowering of the ground floor to be level with the sidewalk. The most visible result of the renovation was the demolition of the building's entire southeastern corner down to the third floor, which was done in order to bring more light to the inner offices and to make room for the construction of a heating plant in its place. Echoing the original plans of the tower that could have replaced the building,
4180-414: The mortgage company in February 1892. Later that year Griffith resigned as bank president and in 1894 sued the ailing Seattle National Bank Building Company which after spending much of the previous year in court with various lawsuits was ordered into receivership with D.A. Spencer as receiver. The building was subsequently foreclosed upon and sold at auction for only $ 103,000; the bondholders wouldn't see
4256-547: The most magnificent bank buildings on the coast and would make appearances in many Architectural trade journals. A detailed description of the banking room was published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer shortly before the bank's opening: The fixtures, which were made in Battle Creek, Mich. , are of Cuban mahogany , and are as handsome as can be found anywhere. The floors are inlaid with tiling, and as you go into
4332-432: The much larger Securities Building uptown. Upon its completion, he moved all of his company's offices to the new building. Following his departure, the tenants of the building began to reflect the working-class population of the area. Pawn shops, restaurants and a public market occupied the lower floors at various times. Downtown Seattle Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington . It
4408-573: The now-defunct Ride Free Area . Other buses from the suburbs operated by Sound Transit Express and Community Transit also terminate in downtown. Interurban Building (Seattle) The Interurban Building , formerly known as the Seattle National Bank Building (1890–1899), the Pacific Block (1899–1930) and the Smith Tower Annex (1930–1977), is a historic office building located at Yesler Way and Occidental Way S in
4484-468: The present financial and retail district of the city, and I believe the time is near when First Avenue will be similarly connected through the south in a direct line. His proposed building, tentatively titled the New Pacific Block would contain a parking garage on the first 3 floors that would serve the offices above as well as the nearby Smith Tower. No further mention was ever made of this tower (or
4560-440: The previous owner, was purchased by architect and contractor George Filler and his wife Evelyn who undertook a multi-year $ 1.7 million project to upgrade the building's interior for modern office and retail tenants. During this time a faux vintage mural advertising Washington State Ferries was painted over a ghost sign for Sperry Flour on the building's south wall by Wallmarx as part of the "Seattle Walls" mural program, funded by
4636-518: The right of way. Originally located at the Southwest corner of First Avenue and Jackson Streets, the railway began looking for a new depot location when the Schwabacher Brothers decided to redevelop the lot. The railroad tracks, which originally ran up First Avenue to Yesler Way, were soon reconfigured into a loop that would pass in front of the Pacific Block before returning to First. At its peak
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#17328545904454712-478: The same people. At the same time, a hotel named The New Cecil Hotel opened on Third Avenue. As the New Arlington Hotel, it catered to businessmen as well as transients and offered telephones and hot and cold running water in each of its 200 rooms, a luxury by the day's standards. The Globe Building , or Globe Block as it was sometimes known, was constructed in 1901 by James Clise for Syracuse investor William Nottingham for Clise's newly formed shipbuilding operation,
4788-454: The station had 27 daily departures for both Tacoma and the branch line to Renton. Upon Smith's passing in 1910, his properties were willed to his widow Flora B. Smith, and upon her death in 1920 to their son Burns Lyman Smith (1880–1941) who would subsequently form the United Business Corporation as a holding company for all his Washington properties. Still residing in Syracuse, New York , he would later make Seattle his permanent home. In
4864-508: The top floor of Pacific Block in 1899 and would host a variety of other fraternal clubs in their hall including the Foresters of America , the Improved Order of Red Men and the Tribe of Ben-Hur . In 1900 James Clise moved the offices of his investment company into the building's 5th floor where he managed all of L.C. Smith's other properties in the city. Other tenants during this time included William Nottingham's Globe Navigation Company, various importers and exporters, mining brokers relating to
4940-458: The top of the counter is enclosed with beveled French plate glass , the lower half chipped and the woodwork beautifully carved... The ceiling and walls are of bronze finish and the remainder of the woodwork of Spanish cedar . The building reached its 6th floor by March 1891 and most of the stone carving was complete including Bas-Relief gargoyles and a large lion's head keystone over the bank's corner entrance. Over 2,100,000 bricks had gone into
5016-427: The western flank of First Hill west of Broadway make up downtown Seattle's chief neighborhoods. Near the center of downtown is the Metropolitan Tract which is owned by the University of Washington ; prior to 1895 it served as the location of the university's campus. Downtown is Seattle's financial and commercial maritime hub as well as its center of nightlife and shopping. The downtown shopping mall Westlake Center
5092-410: Was a prominent banker and mortgage broker in Lawrence, Kansas and would remain there, with Ballard, then the manager of the West Coast Improvement Company and the namesake of the recently established city of Ballard , serving as acting manager. The bank opened one year later in temporary quarters on Yesler Way in the Sanderson Block (The current location of the Merchant's Cafe) with plans to locate in
5168-422: Was brought out of the depression with the discovery of gold in the Yukon in 1897. The city soon became a major supply point for prospectors on their way to the gold fields which resulted in a large building boom. The 6-story Hotel Cecil and 4-story Beebe Buildings were both built by the Clise Investment Co. for Syracuse, New York resident and capitalist Clifford D. Beebe, a member of the executive committee of
5244-468: Was completed on the Belltown waterfront in January 2007. Downtown is also home to the landmark Pike Place Market , the oldest continually operating farmers' market in the United States and the core of activity in the area. The neighborhood had dozens of street clocks in the early 20th century to advertise businesses; by 1950, only 24 were left in the entire city. As of 2024 , downtown has four remaining street clocks. After abandoning " New York Alki ",
5320-400: Was estimated to cost about $ 200,000, the equivalent of nearly $ 6 million today. Construction of the massive foundation, said to be one of the largest being built in the city at the time, began in June 1890 with the driving of piles, with large shipments of Chuckanut Sandstone arriving by barge from the Roth & Roeder quarry in Bellingham the following month. Early reports indicated that
5396-408: Was from Seattle, many of its interior finishes and hardware were sourced from across the country; Smith & Wyman of Minneapolis supplied the doors, blinds, sashes and interior moldings. Matthew Dow was awarded the general construction contract, the first of many buildings he would help build in Seattle, and by September, the walls were up to the second story. Though completion of the building
5472-685: Was officially rechristened as the Pacific Block in July 1899, as the previously eponymous bank hadn't been located there for several years. The banking room was initially converted into the offices of the North American Transportation & Trading Co., a steamship company and later for the local agents of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and New York Central Railroad . The Fraternal Order of Eagles , established in Seattle in 1898, opened their first permanent lodge (Aerie No. 1) in
5548-525: Was owned at the time by Harold A. Preston in trust of the late H.A.P. Carter, one of the original trustees of the building company that purchased the land for its construction. In a suit that made it as far as the superior court, beneficiaries of Carter's trust including several large hardware and paint firms that had placed liens against the former building company as well as the Seattle National Bank itself came forward compelling Preston to sell below his asking price, eventually settling out of court. The building
5624-401: Was so abundant and it would guarantee that the new building would stand out amongst its peers. The remainder of the street-facing façade was to be clad in high quality pressed brick from California and trimmed with red terracotta that would match the hue of the stone, giving the building a mostly monochromatic appearance. While most of the common brick and structural lumber used in the building
5700-782: Was soon joined by the Queen City Business College and later the Acme Business College. The building became an early hub of charitable organizations, with the Union Gospel Mission opening in the basement and the Bureau of Associated Charities headquartered there in 1892. The Seattle Chamber of Commerce would locate in the building in 1893. One of Seattle's early telephone companies, the Seattle Automatic Telephone Company, would have their offices in
5776-517: Was still several months out in February 1891, the banking room, said to be the largest yet opened in Seattle, was made separately waterproof and the bank opened there that month, followed by the neighboring Seattle Savings Bank (later the Nickle then Washington Savings Bank) that June, which was connected to the National bank through common shareholders. The unfinished building was already being praised as one of
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