1924 building, Seattle A
by Mike Penney
Title
1924 building, Seattle A
Artist
Mike Penney
Medium
Photograph - Photographic Medium
Description
The old Chamber of Commerce Bldg. , Seattle, 1924
The 1924 building, at 215 Columbia St., was designated a landmark last year and is now headed to the City Council for final approval. In a neighborhood of right angles, it stands out for its elegant arched main entryway and ornate Romanesque motifs.
Part of a prosperous building bloom between 1920 and 1930, the four-story landmark housed the Seattle Chamber of Commerce for decades. The group was founded in 1882 as a way to keep Alaska mail deliveries routed through Seattle, and not Portland or San Francisco, according to the building’s nomination packet.
The organization moved out in 1983. In the late 90s, the building housed another famous business, described in the nomination as an “innovative start-up internet company.” Yup, it was Amazon.
The building is owned by Pacific Northwest Title.
A pair of 1925 sculpted panels flanks the main entrance. This one, on the left, depicts the primitive or Native American industries of fishing, woodcraft, grinding, weaving and hunting. Morgan Padelford designed the panels and sculpted one of them, before becoming an art director for such movies as “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”
The panel to the right of the main entrance represents modern industries in Washington, including farming, lumbering, mining and fishing. (With more clothing and no women).
Uploaded
December 24th, 2019
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