Mutual Life Building (Seattle)

The building sits on one of the most historic sites in the city; the original location of Henry Yesler's cookhouse that served his sawmill in the early 1850s and was one of Seattle's first community gathering spaces.[2] Begun in late summer of 1890, construction proceeded slowly on Yesler's portion and a temporary roof was put over the completed first floor and basement as soon as it was fit for occupancy, with Feurer following suit.The interiors were to be lavishly decorated in marble, mahogany, Spanish cedar, glazed tile and the most modern plumbing system in the city, ultimately making it more expensive than the original design.[10] That July they hired prominent local architect William E. Boone, who at that point had mostly set his practice aside to focus on civic affairs, to supervise alterations to the building and completion of the top 3 floors.[iii] The redesign, prepared by the prominent New York firm of Clinton and Russell[iv][11] would give the building its current projecting copper cornice, not originally envisioned by Fisher or De Neuf; this work would be completed by the end of 1898.[14][v] This final phase was designed to blend in seamlessly with the existing façade but would be built using "absolutely fireproof" steel frame construction that as well as serving as a structural anchor to the rest of the building could support up to 3 additional floors if the need arose.[22][23] While the building remained mostly intact architecturally, The ground floor would be remodeled multiple times over the next several decades, updating and widening storefronts and removing most of the arches from the former banking space.[26] During World War I, the Mutual Life Building was home to the United States Army recruiting office headquarters on the 5th floor, where victory pins and medals would be awarded to those who presented their discharge papers.The Shafer Brothers would advertise in the newspapers frequently offering slashed rental rates as low as $1 per square foot but demand for office space on skid row would not improve after World War II, at least not for reputable businesses.[28] In October 1955, the Mutual Life Building was purchased from the Shafer Brothers Land Company by Seattle dentist and real estate investor Dr. Sidney T. Magnuson[29] for an undisclosed price.The Mutual Life Building, though not in danger of demolition, was showing its age; its once bright buff brick darkened with decades of soot and pollution and the ground floor was now a hodgepodge of multi-colored facades and garish retail signage.[31] The building's water-powered hydraulic elevator was identified as the last one operating in the city and possibly the country and its basement bank vaults reached by a long forgotten marble stairway were a popular destination for urban spelunkers.
Looking East on Yesler Way c.1888-9. The Mutual life Building would occupy the site of the two buildings on the left.
The Yesler Block in 1891, showing all that would be built of Elmer Fisher's original design.
July 4, 1898, a rare glimpse of the building's De Neuf roofline. Scaffolding for the new cornice (covered in banners) can be seen just underneath.
The First National Bank in 1903, prior to a remodeling that would smooth away most of the textured stone. In Elmer Fisher's original design the entire building would have been clad in this manner.
Pioneer Square c.1959, the dirty Mutual Life Building to the left.
U.S. Historic districtContributing propertySeattle, WashingtonElmer H. FisherClinton and RussellWilliam E. BooneRomanesque RevivalPioneer Square Historic DistrictSeattleHenry YeslerGreat Seattle FireNational Register of Historic Placesright of wayPhelan BuildingSan FranciscoSeafirst BankJohn LearyPost BuildingPortland, OregonPioneer BuildingSalt Lakered sandstonePortage, WisconsinmarblemahoganySpanish cedarglazed tileSaloonMutual Life Insurance Company of New Yorkcornicesteel frameArmstrong InvestigationHenry BroderickKlondike Gold RushTucson, ArizonamanslaughterWorld War IWorld War IIJoshua GreenVictor SteinbrueckMary Bard JensenGordon S. ClintonGay NinetiesEconomic Recovery Tax Act of 1981Urban Development Action GrantHistoric SeattleColman BuildingNational BuildingSavings and loan crisisremote workSanborn mapCanadian Pacific RailwayAbraham H. AlbertsonSeattle Daily Journal of CommercePioneer Square, SeattleHotel SeattleInterurban BuildingMaynard BuildingSinking ShipSmith TowerUnion Trust BuildingWashington Street Public Boat Landing FacilityBiscuit BitchCaffè UmbriaCone & SteinerDead LineElm Coffee RoastersGeneral PorpoiseZeitgeist Coffeeʔálʔal CaféBurbs BurgersThe CasinoThe Double HeaderIron HorseThe London PlaneOK HotelPizzeria GabbianoThe PenthouseCity Hall ParkKlondike Gold Rush National Historical ParkOccidental ParkPioneer Square Habitat BeachWaterfall Garden ParkFallen Firefighters MemorialPioneer Square pergolaPioneer Square totem polePrefontaine FountainKing Street StationUnion StationNational Register of Historic Places listings in Washington (state)Listsby countyAsotinBentonChelanClallamColumbiaCowlitzDouglasFranklinGarfieldGrays HarborIslandJeffersonKitsapKittitasLincolnOkanoganPacificPend OreillePierceSan JuanSkagitSkamaniaSnohomishSpokaneStevensThurstonWahkiakumWalla WallaWhatcomWhitmanYakimaNational Historic LandmarksBridges and TunnelsKeeper of the RegisterHistory of the National Register of Historic PlacesProperty typesHistoric district