AKA: Palomar Building, Downtown, Seattle, WA

Structure Type: built works - commercial buildings - office buildings

Designers: Pederson, Hans, Building Contractor (firm); Priteca, B. Marcus, Architect (firm); Hans Pederson Sr. (building contractor); Barnet Marcus Priteca (architect)

Dates: constructed 1914-1915, demolished 1965

6 stories

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1300 3rd Avenue
Downtown, Seattle , WA 98101

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The Pantages Office Building #2 was located on the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and University Street, and contained Alexander Pantages's second Pantages Theatre.

Building History

Alexander Pantages started his vaudeville theatre empire in 1902 in Seattle, WA. Frequently, developers of the 1910s-1920s would maximize profits from city lots by building office/retail blocks adjoining theatre properties. (This was true of Pantages in many locations, such as the Tacoma Pantages Theatre #2 [1917-1918]).

The Pantages Theatre chain occupied many offices in the adjoining 6-story office block fronting Seattle's 3rd Avenue, using it as a headquarters for the organization.

A note appeared in the American Architect in 11/1913: “Seattle—A theatre to cost about $300,000 will be erected by Alexander Pantages at 3rd and University St. Architect Marcus Priteca prepared the plans.” (See “Washington,” American Architect, Vol. CIV, no. 1976, 11/05/1913, p. 16.)

Alexander Pantages applied to the City of Seattle for a building permit to erect his $750,000 theatre and office building on 04/05/1914. (See "Seattle and State Advance During Year 1914," Seattle Times, 01/03/1915, p. 24.)

Building Notes

The Seattle architect J. Lister Holmes (1891-1986) operated his office in the Pantages Building between 1923-1925, rooms 507 and 509.

The designer of the Pantages Building, B. Marcus Priteca, (1889-1971) operated his architectural office here from 1915-1964.

Demolition

The Pantages/Palomar Theatre was torn down in 1965 to build a parking lot. The Cinema Treasures.org web site listed a demolition date of 06/19/1965. Razing of substantial buildings like cinemas often took more than one day, and probably occurred over a period of a week or weeks. (See Cinema Treasures.org, "Palomar Theatre," accessed 12/09/2020.)

PCAD id: 6048