Arctic Building
Encyclopedia
The Arctic Building is a nine story building in Seattle, Washington
located at the Northeast corner of Third Avenue and Cherry Street. The building was built for the Arctic Club in 1916 and was occupied by them from construction until the club's dissolution in 1971. It is entirely faced with cream white terra cotta
with submarine blue and orange-brown accents. It is particularly noted for the terra cotta walrus-heads lining the third floor of the building. The building was recently restored and exists today as a luxury hotel and is on the National Register of Historic Places
.
and a direct descendant of George Washington
's sister Betty. The home he built on the site in 1875 was considered one of the finest in Seattle at the time. The house was replaced in 1892 by The three-story brick Seattle Theatre designed by the firm of Saunders and Lawton. The newly formed Rainier Club
occupied the office portion of the building until it and the theater were replaced by the Arctic Club Building in 1916.
The Arctic Club was formed in 1908 by successful veterans of the Klondike Gold Rush
. The existing Alaska Club was also merged into the Arctic Club in 1908. The Arctic Club was a fraternal men's club for businessmen with Gold Rush or Alaska connections.
The Arctic Club was initially located in 1909, on 3rd Avenue and Jefferson Street in the Morrison Hotel, also known as the Arctic Club Building.
In 1914, after a dispute with the owner that building, the Arctic Construction Company, it was decided to relocate. In 1916, the members commissioned noted Seattle architect A. Warren Gould to design the Arctic Building in downtown Seattle at Third and Cherry as the group's headquarters. James Moses was the builder. During the move, members surreptitiously removed the bar from the original location by hoisting it out one of the windows. The 128 ft. Arctic Club building's most striking feature is the walrus heads, indicative of the club's name, which adorn the third floor.
Washington Congressman Marion Zioncheck
died in 1936 when he apparently jumped out of the window of his office located on the building's fifth floor. However, others have theorized that he was murdered by being pushed out of the window.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
located at the Northeast corner of Third Avenue and Cherry Street. The building was built for the Arctic Club in 1916 and was occupied by them from construction until the club's dissolution in 1971. It is entirely faced with cream white terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
with submarine blue and orange-brown accents. It is particularly noted for the terra cotta walrus-heads lining the third floor of the building. The building was recently restored and exists today as a luxury hotel and is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
The site of the Arctic building was originally owned by Joseph R. Lewis, the Chief Justice of Washington TerritoryWashington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
and a direct descendant of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's sister Betty. The home he built on the site in 1875 was considered one of the finest in Seattle at the time. The house was replaced in 1892 by The three-story brick Seattle Theatre designed by the firm of Saunders and Lawton. The newly formed Rainier Club
Rainier Club
The Rainier Club is a private club in Seattle, Washington; Priscilla Long of HistoryLink.org calls it "Seattle's preeminent private club." Its clubhouse building, completed in 1904, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was founded in 1888 in what was then the Washington Territory...
occupied the office portion of the building until it and the theater were replaced by the Arctic Club Building in 1916.
The Arctic Club was formed in 1908 by successful veterans of the Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. The existing Alaska Club was also merged into the Arctic Club in 1908. The Arctic Club was a fraternal men's club for businessmen with Gold Rush or Alaska connections.
The Arctic Club was initially located in 1909, on 3rd Avenue and Jefferson Street in the Morrison Hotel, also known as the Arctic Club Building.
In 1914, after a dispute with the owner that building, the Arctic Construction Company, it was decided to relocate. In 1916, the members commissioned noted Seattle architect A. Warren Gould to design the Arctic Building in downtown Seattle at Third and Cherry as the group's headquarters. James Moses was the builder. During the move, members surreptitiously removed the bar from the original location by hoisting it out one of the windows. The 128 ft. Arctic Club building's most striking feature is the walrus heads, indicative of the club's name, which adorn the third floor.
Washington Congressman Marion Zioncheck
Marion Zioncheck
Marion Anthony Zioncheck , an American politician, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1933 until his death in 1936. He represented as a Democrat....
died in 1936 when he apparently jumped out of the window of his office located on the building's fifth floor. However, others have theorized that he was murdered by being pushed out of the window.
Further reading
- Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl. Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Rev. ed. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994. ISBN 0295973668
External links
- Club on Google Street View
- 1913 Image of Seattle Theatre at the University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
Special Collections division. - National Register Nomination Form for The Arctic Building, 1978.