D.T. Denny’s Home Addition
On May 11, 1889, David Thomas Denny recorded the plat for D.T. Denny’s Home Addition to the City of Seattle (King County Recorder 2021). This plat was one of eleven that subdivided some of the 697.19 acres of land claims that David and Louisa Boren Denny acquired along the southern and eastern shores of Lake Union between 1865 and 1869 (BLM 2021). The D.T. Denny’s Home Addition plat was bound by Mercer Street to the north, Orion Street (present-day 9th Avenue North) to the east, Harrison Street to the south, and Temperance Street (present-day Queen Anne Avenue North) to the west (King County Recorder 2021). The name of the plat was a nod to David and Louisa Denny’s homestead of 1860-1861, which was located on the north side of Republican Street between 8th Avenue North and 9th Avenue North (Seattle Daily Times 8 Oct. 1944:38).
Land Claims of David T. Denny and Louisa Denny, 1865 to 1869. Annotated cadastral map (BLM 2021).
In 1889, David and Louisa Boren Denny built their mansion, Decatur Terrace, at 512 Temperance Street. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer 1 Jan. 1890:14). Their homesite occupied all of Block 24 of the D.T. Denny’s Home Addition and was bound by Mercer Street to the north, Kentucky Street (present-day 1st Avenue North) to the east, Republican Street to the south, and Temperance Street (present-day Queen Anne Avenue North) to the west (Sanborn 1893:71). Today, the former site of their house is a parking lot between a pet supply store and a hamburger restaurant.
David and Louisa were active and enthusiastic supporters of Seattle’s development. David invested their personal fortune in the Rainier Power and Railway Company, which he created to connect the University District to downtown by streetcar. Unfortunately, the Panic of 1893 caused the street railway company to fail, which bankrupted the Dennys and caused them to lose their assets, including the mansion, to creditors. David and Louisa were practically exiled from Seattle, moving first to a modest house in the Fremont neighborhood and then to a small cottage at Licton Springs. David died in November 1903, and Louisa died in August 1916 (Crowley 1998).
Block 82, D.T. Denny’s Home Addition
After the subdivision was platted in May 1889, the twelve lots in Block 82 of D.T. Denny’s Home Addition remained undeveloped until well into the first decade of the 20th century. In mid-August 1906, the entire block, bounded by Republican Street to the north, 8th Avenue North to the east, Harrison Street to the south, and Dexter Avenue North to the west, was purchased from Dexter Horton & Company by “an English syndicate” for $50,000, or about $1.46 million in 2021 dollars (Seattle Daily Times 15 Aug. 1906:4). Two weeks later, Eldred Tucker and his wife sold the entire block to Charles E. Thomson for $65,000, or about $1.9 million in 2021 dollars (Seattle Daily Times 1 Sep. 1906:4; 2 Sep. 1906:12).
Sanborn fire insurance map, Seattle, Washington, 1904-1905, Volume 3, Sheet 280. Block 82 of D.T. Denny’s Home Addition is bounded by Republican Street to the north, 8th Avenue North to the east, Harrison Street to the south, and Dexter Avenue North to the west, and is labeled “836” on the map. (Library of Congress).
This eyebrow-raising transaction occurred amid feverish land speculation in the area south of Lake Union, which was driven partially by the impending construction of the canal connecting Lake Washington with Lake Union. The thirty percent increase between the original sale price and the resale price of Block 82 caught the attention of Seattle real estate players, some of whom were immediately suspicious of the shadowy Charles E. Thomson. Albert B. Lord of Albert B. Lord & Company placed large ads in both the Seattle Daily Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which boldly asked “who is this mysterious Chas. E. Thompson? [sic],” and claimed that he had purchased $1,000,000 worth of land in the south Lake Union subdivisions (Seattle Daily Times 9 Oct. 1906:10; Seattle Post-Intelligencer 9 Oct. 1906:14). The next day, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer identified Charles E. Thomson as the representative of a mysterious “English syndicate” snapping up properties, and also named the Thomas Investment Company as Thomson’s agent. The same article cited speculation that Thomson actually represented the Canadian Pacific Railway in a bid to obtain industrial property, a claim which the Thomas Investment Company vehemently denied (Seattle Post-Intelligencer 10 Oct. 1906:5).
Despite Lord’s claims that Thomson had purchased $1,000,000 worth of land in south Lake Union subdivisions, newspaper accounts reveal property transactions for less than half that amount. In addition to his Block 82 acquisition, in mid-August 1906 Thomson had purchased Lots 6 and 7 in Block 83 of D.T. Denny’s Home Addition (the block north of Block 82) for $7,500 (Seattle Daily Times 19 Aug. 1906:66). In mid-September 1906, he purchased all of Block 3 and part of Block 4 of D.T. Denny’s Second Addition from Clark W. Sprague for $160,000 (Seattle Daily Times 18 Sep. 1906:13). Thomson also purchased Block 2 of D.T. Denny’s Second Addition from Frank M. Stanley for $130,000 (Seattle Daily Times 8 Oct. 1906:10). It is possible that Thomson may have acquired other properties through “straw buyers,” but Thomson’s known transactions only total about $362,500, or about $10.6 million in 2021 dollars. Regardless of how much land he may have or may not have purchased, Thomson was indeed a shadowy figure, and his exact identity, along with that of the company he was representing, remains cloaked in mystery.
The Rex Land Company purchased a double lot at the northwest corner of Eighth Avenue North and Harrison Street from George Vogt for $14,000, or about $211,000 in 2021 dollars (Seattle Daily Times 10 Apr. 1927:32; Seattle Post-Intelligencer 10 Apr. 1927:55). Available newspaper accounts do not reveal when George Vogt acquired Block 82, but it appears that Block 82 changed hands at least once between August 1906 and April 1927. Surprisingly, when adjusted for inflation, this sale price of $7,000 per lot in 1927 was about $3,400 less than the price Thomson paid per lot in 1906. Per-lot prices appear to have risen later in 1927 and into 1928, since other transactions in Block 82 of D.T. Denny’s Home Addition included $8,500 paid for Lot 12 in December 1927 and $9,000 paid for Lot 9 in April 1928 (Seattle Daily Times 25 Dec. 1927:14; 22 Apr. 1928:30).
The Rex Land Company announced plans to build a $25,000 masonry building on their 120-foot by 120-foot site (Seattle Daily Times 10 Apr. 1927:32; Seattle Post-Intelligencer 10 Apr. 1927:55). The architect Charles Haynes prepared the building plans, and the building permit was issued on August 2, 1927 (SDCI 1927). The general contractor Nels Hedin built the building, which was completed by late October 1927 (Seattle Daily Times 30 Oct. 1927:92). The Troy Laundry Machinery Company of Chicago took a ten-year lease on the entire first floor of the building, and the Kennedy Auto Works leased the entire second floor (Seattle Daily Times 23 Oct. 1927:19; Seattle Post-Intelligencer 23 Oct. 1927:104).
On a warm, clear day in early May 1928, a Seattle Engineering Department photographer climbed to the top of the gas holder one block to the northeast of the Rex Land Company property. That photographer used at least two large format photographic plates to capture a sweeping view of the developed areas south of Harrison Street. This stunning photograph also captured the completed Rex Land Company building at the northwest corner of Eighth Avenue North and Harrison Street (Seattle Post-Intelligencer 8 May 1928:21; SMA 1928). The other recently completed buildings and the newly graded lot to the north of the Rex Land Company building also testify to the rapid pace of development that occurred in this area between 1927 and 1928. Construction of the Pioneer Sand & Gravel salesroom and garage building at the extreme left of the photograph began in early August 1927 and was completed by early November 1927 (Seattle Daily Times 5 Aug. 1927:25; 30 Oct. 1927:36). The Adolph J. Eberharter building at the extreme right of the photograph was begun in late January 1928, and rental space in the newly completed building was advertised in late May 1928 (Seattle Daily Times 25 Jan. 1928:28; 29 May 1928:21). In late April 1928, the architect Charles Haynes completed plans for another building for the Rex Land Company immediately to the north of their recently completed building. The 120-foot by 120-foot, two-story building was completed in late September 1928 and leased for ten years to the Keystone Paper Box Company (Seattle Daily Times 29 Apr. 1928:10; 10 Jun. 1928; and 23 Sep. 1928:27).
Denny Regrade. South from top of gas tanks. May 7, 1928. The 1927 Rex Land Company building is in the center of the image. (Courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives).
Denny Regrade. South from top of gas tanks. May 7, 1928. Tight crop of the above image. (Courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives).
The Kennedy Auto Works occupied the second floor of the 1927 Rex Land Company building until 1930 (Polk 1930:929; 1931:909). The Troy Laundry Machinery Company occupied the first floor of the building until 1939 (Polk 1939:1558; 1940:1744). The McPherson Furnace & Equipment Company leased the first floor of the 1927 Rex Land Company building in November 1939 and relocated from leased quarters on the west side of 9th Avenue North between Harrison and Republican Streets, where they had been located since 1928 (Seattle Daily Times 25 Mar. 1928:18; Seattle Post-Intelligencer 5 Nov. 1939:18). A venetian blind manufacturer moved into the second floor of the 1927 Rex Land Company building the following year, and it appears that they remained in that space until at least 1950 (SDCI 1940; Sanborn 1950:467).
The Fire
By 1950, the two almost identical buildings constructed for the Rex Land Company in 1927 and 1928 were connected at the second floor with two iron-clad fire doors. This alteration effectively merged the two buildings into one 120-feet-wide by 240-feet-long building with the street addresses of 401-423 8th Avenue North and 768 Harrison Street. (Sanborn 1950:467). In 1945, Apparel, Incorporated, manufacturer of Pacific Trail Sportswear, opened for business in the first-floor space at 421 8th Avenue North. Between 1956 and 1957, the company spent $100,000 to remodel the entire second floor of the building (SDCI 1957; Seattle Post-Intelligencer 28 Oct. 1956:2; 25 Jun. 1957:30; 11 Aug. 1957:90).
Sanborn fire insurance map, Seattle, Washington, 1905-March 1951 (1917-June 1950). This excerpt of the 1950 fire insurance map shows the extensive changes made to Block 82 of D.T. Denny’s Home Addition after the 1905 map was published. The two fire doors connecting the 1927 and 1928 parts of the Rex Land Company building are indicated. (Library of Congress).
By 1969, in addition to the entire second floor of the building, Pacific Trail Sportswear occupied two-thirds of the building’s first floor, with the McPherson Furnace & Equipment Company occupying the remainder. Early in the evening on Saturday, March 1, 1969, a former Pacific Trail Sportswear employee pried open the company safe and stole blank checks from the second-floor office. He then set five fires throughout the building, reportedly due to his frustration in only finding $5.00 in cash with which to purchase liquor. The resulting three-alarm fire burned the north half of the building to the ground, severely damaged the south half, and also damaged several adjacent buildings and their contents. City of Seattle Fire Department officials later declared that the fire caused $1.5 million in damage, or about $10.8 million in 2021 dollars, and was the largest case of arson in the city’s history (Seattle Daily Times 3 Mar. 1969:6; Seattle Post-Intelligencer 2 Mar. 1969:1; 3 Mar. 1969:1; 6 Jan. 1970:11; 26 Nov. 1970:6; and 23 Mar. 1971:16).
Epilogue
The north half of the Rex Land Company building, which had been constructed in 1928, was a complete loss due to the fire and was demolished. Pacific Trail Sportswear lost an estimated $1.4 million worth of equipment and goods in the fire, and though initial reports stated that the company’s property was insured, apparently their insurance company denied their claim (Seattle Daily Times 3 Mar. 1969:6; Seattle Post-Intelligencer 19 Feb. 1970:24). In addition to their manufacturing plant in Seattle, the company also operated three other plants that produced about 85 percent of its goods, which somewhat helped to mitigate the loss of the Seattle facility (Caldbick 2012). The company operated in a temporary space for several months and eventually moved into new quarters at 1310 Mercer Street (Seattle Post-Intelligencer 21 Feb. 1971:43). Lowery C. “Larry” Mounger, Senior, the founder of Pacific Trail Sportswear, died in March 1981 (Seattle Post-Intelligencer 20 May 1981:41). The Mounger family owned the company until 1993, when it was sold to a Chicago investment firm, which merged Pacific Trail Sportswear with London Fog. London Fog went bankrupt in 2006, and the Pacific Trail brand was sold to Columbia Sportswear. Clothing is still sold under the Pacific Trail brand to this day (Caldbick 2012; Pacific Trail 2021).
The south half of the Rex Land Company building, which was completed in 1927, still stands at the northwest corner of 8th Avenue North and Harrison Street. It was owned by the Rex Land Company until August 2000 (King County Assessor 2021). The past ninety-four years have been hard on the building, and it has been heavily modified from its original, as-built condition. Nonetheless, this modest two-story building has bourn witness to the dramatic changes that have occurred over the past century South Lake Union and is one of the few surviving remnants of the industrial history of the neighborhood.
WORKS CITED
Caldbick, J.
2012 “Spectacular arson fire destroys Pacific Trail Sportswear’s factory and headquarters in Seattle on March 1, 1969.” HistoryLink.org Essay 1188. Electronic resource, https://historylink.org/File/1188, accessed April 2021.
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