The Seattle Star Newspaper, September 14, 1921, Page 8

W DOUGLAS IFTS SAVINGS SERVICE SATISFACTIO ow BUILDING THE N T DRUG ‘\ Co SEATTLE STARK so ee 5 A RAEN CI WE DNESDAY. ! SEPTEMBER 14, 1921, NEW DOUGLAS BUILDING.& Modern Office Building Erected at Fourth and Union Sts., by Metropolitan Building Company 7 Completely remodeled and refurnished Modern Prescrip- tion Room separate from the main store. Private fitting room for Abdominal Belts, Elastic Hosiery and Trusses. ‘ Also We Feature IMPORTED AND DOMESTIC TOILET ARTICLES Stationery, Fountain Pens, Kodaks, Rubber Goods One of seven busy stores owned and operated by Seattle men, OTHER LOCATIONS Main Store—Second and Pike ‘Broadway and Thomas Fourth and Madison University—University Way and E. 50th Second and Madison West Seattle at Junction HOWELL @2 ALBERTSON ARCHITECTS DOUGLAS BUILDING ra a TRS ALL TRACES OF THE OLD _ P.-I. BUILDING COM- PLETELY WIPED OUT ‘The remodeling of the old P.1.| was very thoro, all the old, prumbing; | pl ogee mga UPPER L. Butt Optical Co Dr. A. U. Simpson. . State Department of Health The Whit J. T. Steeb Burroughs Adding” Machine Co Metzger & Jones jand new walls put in. C. H. Nelson & Sons Co. had the contract for the plastering, which called for a special finish. The A. Weissenborn Decorating company, who contracted the paint- ing, @re putting on the f.nishing touches to some of the offices now. Seattle Cornice works did consider- able sheet metal work besides put ting on the roofing. The old win dows in the building had to be re- cut and very little of it could be used. The plate glass and art glass was furnished by the Belknap Gass company, largest glass house on the Pacific @oast. -1329 Fourth Ave. -1331 Fourth Ave. -1333 Fourth Ave. -1335 Fourth Ave. ..... Entrance FLOORS - 216-19 216-19 301-2 « 307-8 3-19 -23 Cascade Construction Company Herron Lumber Company Lee, Morgan & Co...... Dr. 0. T. Dean...,.-.++---+ >: U. S. Department of Justice. BREWSTER’S CIGAR STORE Entrance of the Douglas Building REMODELING OF OLD P-1 BLDG.RECALLS HISTORY OF UNIVERSITY TRACT The Douglas Bullding ts situated on the property known as the Unt versity Tract. This tract was do nated to the University by Arthur A. Denny and Charles C. Terry about the year 1861. There were 10 acrés in all on the tract. The land vas used as a site for the Stato University. Many citizens who were very prominent in the city of Seattle assisted in the clear- ing of the site. At that time this Particular piece of ground was so far from the center of the city that it was thought to be more or leas unusable, The trees were cut down between the tract and the Sound in order to make it appear to be more accessible, A portion of the ground that was donated was built 4p with Univer: sity buildings. The particular cor. ner upon which the Douglas Build ing stands was first used for a state armory. Many of the great politi- cal conventions of the state were held in this old Armory building. This armory continued to be used wntil the new Armory was built on Western ave. In 1891 the state of Washington | Passed an act for the location of the University on the shores of Lake Union and Lake Washington A few years later the University ceased to use the old buildings that had been erected upon the 10acre tract and was moved to the new Lulldings erected on the present campus. In December, 1902, the University Tract was leased to the University Site Improvement company. This company failed to carry out the pro- Visions of the lease and the lease was forfeited on October 1, 1904. On November 1, 1904, a new lease on the tract was made with James A. Moore of Seattle, This lease was subsequently canceled and a new lease was prepared on February 1, 1907, Thia lease was made to Mr. Moore and his associates. Undér the terms of the lease any building erected on the University Tract be comes the property of the Univers sity, subject to the lessees’ right to the use and occupation of the same during the period of the lease, The Douglas Butiding, which prior to its remodeling, wax known as the Post-Intelligencer building, was com- pleted in the year 1905. Prior to that time the Post-Intelligencer com- pany’s offices and plant had been located in a building situated on the northwest corner of Second ave. and Cherry st. ‘The lessees of the University Tract at that time, anxious to get some development on the property, offered t6 build a new building to house the Post-Intelligencer com. pany and to rent it to them for a long period at a very low rental. Mr. Samuel Weston, who was man ager of the P.L. in 1907, realized that the center of the population was far north of Cherry st, and he was willing to take the chance of moving the Post-Intelligencer com pany to the corner of Fourth ave and Union st., altho at that time G. J. Bauer & Co. Tailors’ and Dressmakers’ SUPPLIES BUTTONS COVERED HEMSTITCHING, 10c YARD PICOT EDGING BUTTONHOLES MADE KNIFE PLAITING ACCORDION PLAITING BRAIDING AND : 1329 Fourth Avenue EMBROIDERY Main 5297 Mail Orders Receive Prompt Attention 0 Pit AD there was no business located in that vicinity While the construction of the new , Structure was under way the lease on the University Tract was ac) quired by Mr. James A. Moore and bis associates. Mr, Moore acquired with the lease the partly completed P-I. building, which he carried thru to completion. Immediately an ao tive development of the University tract was begun, which consisted largely of regrading the 10 acres of ground of which the PostIntelli gencer building site formed a part. In October, 1907, Mr, Moore sold the lease on the University Tract, in- cluding the new building, to a group of men who had forfmed themselves into the Metropolitan Building com pany. In 1908" the Metropolitan Building company began an active develop. ment of the University Tract and has continued this development down to the present time with the exception of the two years that the world war was in progress, In 1908 the White building, an 11-story building, was erected across the street from the Post-Intelligen cer building. The erection of this buliding was followed by the eree- tion of the Henry, Cobb, Stuart, Arena and a number of other struct- ures—more than 20 buildings In all The site diagonally across from the Douglas building that was used for boarding houses ii 1907 was {fh proved with business buildings, The whole district with the improvement of the University Tract took on life and began to shape itself into @ business district. The University Tract in itself with the improve- ments thereon is a small city within a city. The Metropolitan Building com pany built two classes of buildings; those ‘that they designate as perma nent buildings and ther butldings which they designe) as temporary buildings, The terorary buildings are onestory str ‘res that are to be torn down #*) replaced at an early date. The permanent , build. ings are built wit? their exteriors of vitrified brick and terra cotta so that all of the buildings harmonize in color. All of the permanent build ings with the exception of the Metropolitan theatre have been built up to a common skyline, The Douglas building conforms in design and appearance with these other permanent buildings. About the time the Metropolitan Building company commenced work on the remodeling of the P.1. build ing in order to make it conform to the new street line the Post-Intelll gencer company decided to move to the Heffernan building. The owners decided to remodel the P-I. building from the basement to the roof and to make it into @ first-class office structure, and to rename it the Douglas bullding, in honor of the secretary and manager of the com: pany, J. Ff. Douglas. The remodeling work on the tn- terior of the building commenced about the first of July and was en- Urely completed by September 1. The Douglas building was originally a mil) structure with very heavy timbers and girders on account of the fact that the building was de- signed for very heavy loads. There was no particular difficulty, there- fore, as the structure had a good stout frame, in remodeling the bufld- ing. It was only necessary to adopt & good office plan and to spend sufficient money in carrying it out. Perhaps no structure of the size of the Douglas building that has been remodeled was ever more thoroly done over than was the case in this building. The architect of the first etructure would hardly recognize the present building as one of his productions. One of the very interesting feats in eonnection with the reconstruc tion was the remodeling of the space formerly used by the Post- Intelligencer company for its press room and business, and accounting offices. The accounting office was about four feet above the street level in order to give the public a view into the press room thru street windows, As the building now stamds this epace has been cut down to the present street level and office space has been built over this space in the shape of a mezzanine floor. The sub-mezzanine floor bas been built into one of the most attractive res- taurant rooms that can be found anywhere. This restaurant room, with the exception of height, is in many respects like the very famous dining room at the Vanderbilt hotel in New York city, ALBERT B. JONES Jeweler Repairing in the Douglas Biulding TENANTS. RETURN TO FORMER LOCATIONS When the remodeling of the PI. building was started all of the ten- ants moved to temporary locations with the exception of the Swift Drag Store, which continued bust ness during the construction, Albert B. Jones, jeweler, and G. R Hartwig, electrician, are back in their former locations with modern places of business, Western Union are in their old location with a much better equipped office. Cum- mings & Thornton are new tenants. Their millinery store is one of finest in the Northwest. In the trance of the building Brewster opened a new cigar store. J. T. Steeb & Co..and the roughs Adding Machine com moved from the Henry building tt take advantage of the new locati 1. Butt Optical company came fi the Denny building. ths LATEST FALL STYLES CUMMINGS & THORNTON G. R. HARTWIG Electrical Supplies Repairing 1331 FOURTH AVE. IN THE DOUGLAS BUILDING MAIN 3586 , Sub-Contractors on the NEW DOUGLAS BUILDING A. Weissenborn Decorating Co. Painting Seattle Cornice Works Sheet Metal and Roofing C: H. Nelson & Sons Co. Plastering C. H. E. Williams Co. Wiring Ashwell & Twist Plumbing Belknap Glass Co. Glass