By our count, the area around First Hill and Capitol Hill currently holds 44 official Seattle landmarks. Putting in place a more onerous review process and preserving the structures from significant changes that could alter — or destroy — the buildings, the Landmarks Preservation Board’s designation seems even more valuable as the wave of development in the area continues. Our sister site First Hill Seattle reports that Wednesday, an important part of the neighborhood’s culture will have its time in front of the board:
Town Hall Seattle, officially known as the Fourth Church of Christ Scientist, is located at 1119 Eight Avenue. The building, completed in two stages between 1916 and 1923, was designed by Portland architect George Foote Dunham. Designation is being considered under the board criteria that “It embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of an architectural style, period, or a method of construction.”
The application states “The building represents typical Christian Science architecture in Seattle and retains its interior layout and virtually its entire original exterior and many of its interior finishes. Clad on all elevations in white glazed terra cotta, the building’s materials, classical proportions and detailing provide an important visual anchor to the neighborhood.”
The full document for the nomination is embedded below. The nominations, we’ve noted before, are usually a fantastic byproduct of the process and the Town Hall packet is no exception. Enjoy learning more about this great building.
The Town Hall nomination joins two Capitol Hill buildings in the landmarks process.
- The nomination of this E John Anhalt apartment building will go forward and is slated for another appearance before the board in October.
- 18th Ave E’s Ruth Court will join Town Hall in front of the board on Wednesday.
- The Central District’s Horace Mann building (PDF) is also expected to go in front of the board this week.
Capitol Hill-area landmarks — View the live map for details
More on Wednesday’s Town Hall session and the full nomination application document are below.
The Landmarks Preservation Board will consider landmark nomination for the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, more popularly known as Town Hall Seattle, located at 1119 8th Avenue in Seattle. The meeting will be on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. in the Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 5th Avenue, 40th Floor, in Room 4060.
on picture 7 of 6. It reads looking NORTHEAST on 8th Avenue. It sure looks like St. James Cathedral on the left of that which would mean you’d be looking SOUTHeast down 8th Avenue.
It’s an old caption, maybe Seattle has rotated in the last 100 years?
Everyone can submit their comments & support for this landmark via email!
Just email this address kate.krafft@seattle.gov & it’s most meaningful if you pull reasons from the nomination document http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/preservation/documents/
of why this building meets their landmark criteria http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/preservation/designatio
Looking southeast it is; you can just about see the columns at the main entry on 8th Ave; the window we can see here on the side is on Seneca street.
Also interesting is the streetcar in the foreground; streetcars ran on 8th for just a few blocks between Union and Howell.
You might also enjoy the historylink essay on Town Hall:
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&
And Historic Seattle, just last Saturday, had a wonderful First Hill tour of stained glass windows that included the announcement of the discovery of just exactly where the lovely ones in Town Hall came from. (Povey Brothers in Portland, OR, restored by Seattle Stained Glass.) Thanks to Lawrence Kreisman for diligent research.