Joshua Sears Building
Encyclopedia
The Joshua Sears Building is a historic building in Kirkland, Washington
located at the northwest corner of Market Street and Seventh Avenue, Kirkland's historic commercial core. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. It was built in 1891 by Boston
philanthropist and capitalist, Joshua Sears, who was heavily invested in Peter Kirk's Great Western Iron & Steel Works and who planned to open a bank in town. As a result of the Panic of 1893
, the steel mill and the bank never opened but the Sears building survives today as a reminder of what might have been in Kirkland. On August 3, 1982, it was added the National Register of Historic Places
.
in plan, measuring 10' x 81' x 52' x 42' x 61'. It is two full stories with a full basement
. The main entrance is on the southeast corner with a second major entrance centered on the east facade. The building is Italianate
in style and is constructed of red brick in the stretcher bond pattern. The foundation is also brick. The roof is flat and covered with tar and gravel.
There is a continuous pressed metal cornice
around the east and south roof lines. The cornice contains brackets
, dentils, and a decorated frieze
. There are belt courses of cast ornamental concrete
over raised brick occurring at four levels: on the first floor under the window sills a wide band above the first floor windows; on the second floor as a continuous band window sill and just below the metal frieze of the cornice. This cast concrete is used throughout the exterior to imitate stone.
There are several types of window treatment. These are on the west facade: segmental with radiating voussoir
s of plain brick and cast concrete lug sills; south facade: first floor, plain double hung windows; above these are a second row of small windows approximately 2½' x 4', semi-circular with cast concrete surrounds and pressed metal decorative keystones
; second floor, standard double hung with shaped concrete lintels with raised keystones and continuous cast concrete sills; east facade: first floor, large fixed windows with transoms
above and continuous sills and headers of cast concrete; second floor, the same as the south facade; the north facade has no windows.
The main entrance, which was for the bank, is on the southeast corner. The door is recessed and approached by three granite stairs. Originally, there were paneled double doors but they have been replaced by a standard plain single door. The door architrave
consists of brick pilasters with cast concrete bases and pressed metal Ionic capitals
and a segmental pediment
also of pressed metal. The second story window surround continues the classic effect with a triangular pediment supported by brackets over two double hung windows, since replaced by a fixed, four pane window imitating the original. Above this pediment is a rectangular cast concrete cartouche
bearing the name "SEARS". The second entrance is centered on the east facade and bears many of the same features: pressed metal pediments, etc.
millionaire, philanthropist and Kirkland investor Joshua Montgomery Sears as part of the speculative land boom following Peter Kirk's proposal of building a steel producing mecca that would rival Pittsburgh on the east side of Lake Washington
. The building cost $18,000 to build, at the time the most expensive being built in Kirkland outside of the steel mill itself. The bricks were pressed from local clay at Peter Kirk's own brick works on what is now Peter Kirk Park. The building originally intended to house a bank at the corner. Sears outfitted the entire interior and even hired a partial staff but with the arrival of the Panic of 1893
, the doors, like the steel mill, never opened. In the years after the bust, the building, like many others in the area remained mostly vacant. The corner space was eventually occupied by a printing company and later a grocery store. An electric supply store occupied one of the smaller storefronts for over twenty years. At one point the building's upper floors, originally intended for office space, were divided into seven apartments. On August 3, 1982, it was added the National Register of Historic Places
. Today the building houses a religious bookstore and a real estate office.
Kirkland, Washington
Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Seattle on the Eastside . The population was 48,787 at the 2010 census makes it the 9th largest city in King County and the 20th largest city in the state...
located at the northwest corner of Market Street and Seventh Avenue, Kirkland's historic commercial core. It is listed 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...
. It was built in 1891 by Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
philanthropist and capitalist, Joshua Sears, who was heavily invested in Peter Kirk's Great Western Iron & Steel Works and who planned to open a bank in town. As a result of the Panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
, the steel mill and the bank never opened but the Sears building survives today as a reminder of what might have been in Kirkland. On August 3, 1982, it was added 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...
.
Original and present appearance
A single detached structure, the building is an irregular polygonPolygon
In geometry a polygon is a flat shape consisting of straight lines that are joined to form a closed chain orcircuit.A polygon is traditionally a plane figure that is bounded by a closed path, composed of a finite sequence of straight line segments...
in plan, measuring 10' x 81' x 52' x 42' x 61'. It is two full stories with a full basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
. The main entrance is on the southeast corner with a second major entrance centered on the east facade. The building is Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
in style and is constructed of red brick in the stretcher bond pattern. The foundation is also brick. The roof is flat and covered with tar and gravel.
There is a continuous pressed metal cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
around the east and south roof lines. The cornice contains brackets
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
, dentils, and a decorated frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
. There are belt courses of cast ornamental concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
over raised brick occurring at four levels: on the first floor under the window sills a wide band above the first floor windows; on the second floor as a continuous band window sill and just below the metal frieze of the cornice. This cast concrete is used throughout the exterior to imitate stone.
There are several types of window treatment. These are on the west facade: segmental with radiating voussoir
Voussoir
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. A...
s of plain brick and cast concrete lug sills; south facade: first floor, plain double hung windows; above these are a second row of small windows approximately 2½' x 4', semi-circular with cast concrete surrounds and pressed metal decorative keystones
Keystone (architecture)
A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone piece at the apex of a masonry vault or arch, which is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch to bear weight. This makes a keystone very important structurally...
; second floor, standard double hung with shaped concrete lintels with raised keystones and continuous cast concrete sills; east facade: first floor, large fixed windows with transoms
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
above and continuous sills and headers of cast concrete; second floor, the same as the south facade; the north facade has no windows.
The main entrance, which was for the bank, is on the southeast corner. The door is recessed and approached by three granite stairs. Originally, there were paneled double doors but they have been replaced by a standard plain single door. The door architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
consists of brick pilasters with cast concrete bases and pressed metal Ionic capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
and a segmental pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
also of pressed metal. The second story window surround continues the classic effect with a triangular pediment supported by brackets over two double hung windows, since replaced by a fixed, four pane window imitating the original. Above this pediment is a rectangular cast concrete cartouche
Cartouche
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an ellipse with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name, coming into use during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty under Pharaoh Sneferu, replacing the earlier serekh...
bearing the name "SEARS". The second entrance is centered on the east facade and bears many of the same features: pressed metal pediments, etc.
History
The Sears Building was built in 1891 by BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
millionaire, philanthropist and Kirkland investor Joshua Montgomery Sears as part of the speculative land boom following Peter Kirk's proposal of building a steel producing mecca that would rival Pittsburgh on the east side of Lake Washington
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and...
. The building cost $18,000 to build, at the time the most expensive being built in Kirkland outside of the steel mill itself. The bricks were pressed from local clay at Peter Kirk's own brick works on what is now Peter Kirk Park. The building originally intended to house a bank at the corner. Sears outfitted the entire interior and even hired a partial staff but with the arrival of the Panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
, the doors, like the steel mill, never opened. In the years after the bust, the building, like many others in the area remained mostly vacant. The corner space was eventually occupied by a printing company and later a grocery store. An electric supply store occupied one of the smaller storefronts for over twenty years. At one point the building's upper floors, originally intended for office space, were divided into seven apartments. On August 3, 1982, it was added 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...
. Today the building houses a religious bookstore and a real estate office.
See also
- Peter KirkPeter Kirk (businessman)Peter Kirk was a British-born American businessman who founded the City of Kirkland in King County, Washington, United States. The town is named in his honour....
- Peter Kirk BuildingPeter Kirk BuildingThe Peter Kirk Building, first known as the Kirkland Investment Company Building, is a historic building in Kirkland, Washington located at the corner of Market Street and Seventh Avenue, Kirkland's historic commercial core. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
- Masonic Lodge BuildingMasonic Lodge Building (Kirkland, Washington)The Masonic Lodge Building, also known as the Campbell Building and first known as the French & Church Building, is an historic building located at 702 Market Street at the corner of Seventh Avenue in the historic commercial core of Kirkland, Washington. It was built in 1890-91 by Kirkland...