to City ot?Scat't 1c
Landmarks 
700 Third Avenue . 4th floor?- Seattle 9810-1 - (206)684- 0288

LPB 172/95
REPORT ON DESIGNATION

Name and Address of Property: Seattle Times Building
1120 John Street

Legal Description: Lots 7 through 12 in Block 110, D. T. Denny?s Fifth Addition to North
Seattle, as per plat recorded in Volume 1 of Plats, Page 202, records of
King County, and together with those portions of the Donation Claim of
D.T. Denny and Louisa Denny, his wife, and Government Lot 2 in the
southeast quarter of Section 30, Township 25 North, Range 4 East,
W.M., lying westerly of Fairview Avenue North, as condemned in King
Country Superior Court Cause No. 204496, as provided by Ordinance
No. 51975, and described as that portion lying southerly of Thomas
Street as conveyed by deed recorded under Recording No. 2103211,
northerly of John Street, and easterly of the alley in said Block 110; and
together with the vacated alley in Block 110 of said Plat of D.T.
Denny?s Fifth Addition, vacated under Seattle Ordinance No. 89750;
situate in the City of Seattle, County of King, State of Washington.

At the public hearing held on August 2, 1995, the City of Seattle?s Landmarks Preservation
Board voted to approve designation of the Seattle Times Building as a Seattle Landmark
based upon satisfaction of the following standards for designation of SMC 25. 12.350:

C. It is associated in a significant way with a significant aspect of the cultural,
political, or economic heritage of the community, city, state or nation

D, it embodies the distinctive visible characteristics of an architectural style, or
period, or of a method of construction

E. It is an outstanding work of a designer or builder

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Description

The 1930-31 Seattle Times plant consisted of three units: an of?ce building, printing plant
and garage, all of which were designed by architect Robert C. Reamer. The original two?
story, 135? 68? of?ce building portion of this complex was constructed between June 1930
and March 1931. It was constructed in conjunction with the adjacent extant printing plant
building, and a garage structure that was demolished ca.1949. The original of?ce and
industrial complex was situated at the northwest corner of Fairview Avenue and John Street
and extended northward on the half-block to Thomas Street. The of?ce building was
oriented southward, toward the business district and the printing plant and garage were
oriented toward Fairview Avenue. Since 1947, the original complex has been repeatedly
altered, expanded and modernized.

The original of?ce building is constructed of reinforced concrete and clad with cream-colored
Indiana limestone above a granite base. The original south elevation or main facade consists
of the central entrance vestibule and the three window bays symmetrically placed to each side,
Facade ornament is limited to decorative cast aluminum panels at the window spandrels, wide
piers with shallow ?utes and simple cresting at the parapet edge. The words "Seattle Times"
are cut into the stone and centered above the original'main entrance. The entrance features
particularly handsome aluminum grillwork decorated with octagons, florals, spirals and wave
motifs. This entrance grillwork is considered to be one of the ?nest examples of decorative
metalwork in the city. On each side of the entrance vestibule, limestone panels are carved in
has relief with distinctive ornamental ?oral patterns. The original ornate pendant-type lantern
?xture remains in place within the entrance vestibule. Windows are grouped in a series of
four per bay on the south elevation and ?ve per bay on the east elevation. The original
window sash has been replaced with compatible newer materials. The original lobby walls
and ?oors are identi?ed as a light-tan Bottichino marble and remain in place, It is assumed
that no other character?de?ning original historic building fabric remains in the lobby area.

The design of the Seattle Times of?ce building is distinguished by features derived from Art
Deco and Moderne styles. The design emphasized symmetrical massing and proportions
drawn from Beaux Arts classicism, however executed with minimal ornamentation, This
mode of "starved classicism" was promoted by Paul Phillippe Cret, an influential classicist
and educator at the University of during the 19205 and 303. The design of the
Seattle Times Building demonstrates architect Robert C. Reamer?s mastery of these design
modes.

The original 1930-31 of?ce building portion of the Seattle Times complex remains
predominantly intact with the exception of a 1947 addition; the south elevation of the of?ce
building was extended two window bays to the west by the addition in 1947. This addition
was designed by Fey and is compatible in character and detail to the original facade
design. A new ?The Seattle Times" electric neon sign was also installed above the main
entrance. In 1967', a major addition designed to house a new pressroom and the classi?ed
advertising department was made to the west of the expanded of?ce building. This addition

was further modernized in 1979. A back-lit plastic sign with a digital readout and clock has
also been attached to the southeast corner of the building.

The original six-bay portion of the original 135? 172? printing plant building is adjacent and
interconnected to the of?ce building. The plant building is a three?story concrete structure
but due to the northward-sloping street grade, it shares a common roof line with the of?ce,
building. The printing plant was designed to harmonize with the of?ce building although it
was executed in a simpler and more utilitarian manner. The window pattern and bay spacing
are similar, however the architectural details and construction materials are modest and
utilitarian in character. Original window sash has been replaced along the east elevation of
the building. A new plant addition including a new pressroom wing was added to the
northern end of the original printing plant building in 1949. This addition extended the cast
elevation northward by three window bays. This addition was designed by architect David 
Fey and is compatible in character with the original six-bay design. A new Paper receiving .
platform was also constructed as part of this expansion and the original 1931 garage building
was demolished. The remainder of the complex is generally utilitarian in charact?t The other
major modern additions, while basically compatible with the original design, are not
considered to be architecturally or historically signi?cant. New press equipment was also
installed in the facility in 1954, 1956 and 1964. In 1963-64, further building additions were
again made to the northern and western portions of the old printing plant structure.

Statement Of Signi?cance

The original complex was constructed for the Blethen Corporation, by Teufel 3e Carlson
Builders according to plans prepared by architect R. C. Reamer. Extensive news articles
regarding the construction of the new facilities at Fairview Avenue and the relocation of The
Seattle Times operation from Times Square were included in The Seattle Times, March 1
1931, and March 15, 1931. The Architect and Engineer, (Vol. 105, No.3) included a fully
illustrated feature article regarding the design of the of?ce building and plant in June 1931,
Seattle Department of Construction and Land Use (DCLU) micro?lm records include fairly
poor quality copies of the original architectural drawings prepared by FL C. Reamer. DCLU
micro?lm records include complete copies of the original City of Seattle - Department of
Buildings, Application and Building Permit records and extensive permit records and
drawings related to subsequent building additions, plant expansions and
interior alteration projects.

The present The Seattle Times newspaper was founded by Colonel Alden J. Blethen on
August 10, 1896, after having acquired an Associated Press membership for an evening daily
newspaper. Upon the death of the founder in 1915, his son, Colonel C. B. Blethen, became
Editor and Publisher of the newspaper. By 1925, the Seattle Times Company published the
Seattle Daily Times, an evening newspaper and the Seattle Sunday Times, a Sunday morning
publication that included the Rotogravure Section. By 1930, the circulation of the paper
averaged over 100,000 copies sold per day and ranked among the highest densities of
circulation in the United States.

The relocation of The Seattle Times headquarters and plant to the Fairview Avenue location
was the third time in three and one-half decades that the newspaper operation moved. From
August 10, 1396, to November 15, 1901, the newspaper operation occupied rooms in the old
Boston Block at Second Avenue and Columbia Street. The plant was then relocated further
north to Second Avenue and Union Street. In 1916, Col. Alden J. Blethen and CD. Blethen
oversaw the design and construction of the third (and further northward) location, the Times
Square Building at Fourth and Fifth Avenues between Olive and Stewart Street. As with the
prior two moves, cramped conditions at the Times Square Building precipitated the last
northward move to the Fairview Avenue site in 1931.

The Seattle Times Building and Plant were sited along a main north-south thoroughfare. The
site was considered a "remote" distance north of the established business district and, rather
symbolically, the main facade of the of?ce building was oriented to the south and back
toward the business district. This working-class residential district, near the southern
industrialized shore of Lake Union, gradually evolved into a semi-industrial district due to its
desirable distance from the congestion of downtonm Seattle. Delivery and service vehicles, as
well as employees, could come and go with relative ease and ef?ciency. The Seattle Times
was one of several industrial operations established in the area after W.W.I. Eventually
numerous light-industrial conunercial enterprises were located in this general vicinity.

The three units of the 1930-31 Seattle Times plant the of?ce building, the printing plant and
the garage - were all designed by architect Robert C. Reamer. R.C. Reamer (1873-193 8) is a
highly regarded architect who practiced in the Paci?c Northwest after 1916. He is nationally
known for his work within Yellowstone National Park, most notably the Old Faithful Inn
(1902-3). He is known locally for the design of several Seattle area buildings that exhibit
distinctive architectural style and contribute signi?cantly to the character of the city. The
Seattle Times Building is among a group of Reamer?s most noteworthy Seattle commissions
including; the Skinner Building (1925), the 1411 Fourth Avenue Building (1928), Great
Northern Building (192??29), and the Meany Hotel (1930-31).

The design of the original 1930?31 of?ce building portion of the current Seattle Times
complex is distinguished by architectural features derived from Art Deco and Moderne design
modes. Important character de?ning features of the original building design remain intact and
in place including; the cream-colored Indiana limestone cladding and granite base, decorative
cast aluminum panels at the window spandrels, wide piers with shallow ?utes, simple creating
at the parapet edge, the cut limestone "Seattle Times" sign, particularly distinctive aluminum
grillwork, carved limestone entrance panels, and the ornate pendant-type lantern light ?xture.
The architectural character and the quality of these features distinguish The Seattle Times
Building from all other commercial or industrial buildings in the CascadefSouth Lake Union
district, as well as the remainder of the city. The building is representative of a design mode
of which there are few comparable local examples, with the exception of the Seattle Art
Museum at Volunteer Park (designed by Bebb Gould, 1931-33)- Furthermore, the design
of the Seattle Times Building is representative of the work of Robert C. Reamer, an important
Seattle?based architect, and demonstrates his mastery of this design mode.

The features of the Landmark to be preserved, include:
The entire exterior of the original 1930-31 office building, including the roof.

Issued: August 15, 1995



Karen Gordon
City Historic Preservation Of?cer

KGzejh

cc: Dennis Andersen, Chair, LPB
Richard Kroehalis, DCLU
Alan Oiye, DCLU
Ken Mar, DCLU
Scott Kemp, DCLU
Jim Diets, DON
Steve Wood
Craig Gannett
Marco de Sa Silva
Tom Goeltz