Guide to the A.V. Love Dry Goods and Loft Building Photograph Collection
Sept. 1998

Scope and Content

The collection contains black-and-white prints, negatives, and contact sheets depicting the A.V. Love Dry Goods and Loft Building in Seattle, Washington, prior to its demolition. Although the report is not an official HABS report, HABS standards were used as guidelines in the photographs and written report. The report was written by preservation architect Susan Boyle. Interns Jed Edeler and Karen McCaughan provided photographic and research assistance.

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open to the public.

Related Material

See the Guide to the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record Photograph Collections for links to related finding aids.

Historical Background

The A.V. Love Dry Goods and Loft Building was designed in 1925 by the Tacoma firm of Heath, Gove, and Bell. Located in the Denny Triangle neighborhood, the building was an example of Seattle’s early art deco architecture.

The building was built in 1925 by the A.V. Love Dry Goods Company and was located at 1925 Eighth Avenue. By 1935, it had been converted to a garment factory by the Olympic Garment Company. Over the next fifty years, the building housed various tenants. At the time of its sale to the United States General Service Administration (GSA) in 1998, the A.V. Love Building’s tenants included the Washington Book and Braille Library as well as various small businesses. The building was demolished as part of a redevelopment project for Seattle’s new Federal Courthouse.

The brick-and-concrete building’s exterior features included art deco stylistic elements and brick pilasters. The interior space was designed as a loft space for storage; this open space allowed for flexibility in floor plans through the years.

Recognizing the building’s historical value, the GSA hired Boyle Wagoner Architects to prepare photographic and textual documentation of the A.V. Love Dry Goods and Loft Building in 1998.

Acquisition Info

Gift of Boyle Wagoner Architects, Dec. 1998.

Processing Info

Processed by Shannon B. Lynch, 2004.

Inventory

Box/Folder

Item

Date

Contemporary Photographs

Sept. 1998

All photographs made by Jed Edeler unless otherwise indicated.

1/1

1

Northeast corner of building, showing the 8th Avenue façade

2

Southeast corner of building, showing entry for upper floors off 8th Avenue

3

Southeast corner of building showing party wall on the south and alley façade to the west

The large structures atop the building are the elevator penthouse and mechanical cage.

4

Northwest corner of building

5

Bays on 8th Avenue façade

6

Typical wood spandrel over storefront, showing sheet metal awning and clerestory windows with painted wood mullions

7

Main floor entry, located at 721 Virginia Street

8

Pre-cast decorative concrete panels, located above main floor entry

1/2

9

Spandrel over main entry

Large horizontal conduit was added to provide exterior lighting.

10

Entry for upper floors, located at 1925 8th Avenue

Detailing above doorway and on inside of entry is glazed terra cotta.

11

Service elevator and mechanical cage, located on northwest corner of roof

Light monitors allow light into a large work area located on the southwest corner of the top floor.

12

Lowered alley and loading docks off Virginia Street

13

Cast newel post in southeast stairwell

14

Fourth-floor corridor

15

Interior of studio unit on northwest corner of second floor

Industrial steel sash is typical on building.

16

Wood post and beam connection

Box / Folder

Date

Report and Photocopied Images

1998

Included with the photographs is a report documenting the history of the A.V. Love Dry Goods and Loft Building. This report, prepared by preservation architect Susan Boyle, includes information on the history of the site, building, and architects, as well as detailed descriptions of the building's interior and exterior features. Included also are photocopies of architectural drawings, historical photographs from the 1920s, the 1998 black-and-white documentary photographs, and color photocopies of 1998 documentary photographs.

1/3

Architectural drawings (photocopies)

1925

Photocopied architectural drawings include the current site plan for the A.V. Love Building and 1925 plans for the foundation, sub-basement, basement, four main floors, and roof of the building. Elevations and sections are also included. The foundation plan was drawn by E.F. Sinks, structural engineer for Heath, Gove and Bell Architects; all other drawings are by Heath, Gove and Bell Architects.

Historic photographs (photocopies)

1/3

A.V. Love Building, showing 8th Avenue and Virginia Street elevations

ca. 1936

Photograph from King County Tax Assessor's Files is available from the State Regional Archives, King County Branch.

"Denny Regrade southeast from Denny Way"

Mar. 8, 1929

Photograph number 7375 from the Seattle Municipal Archives Photograph Collection.

"Denny Hill, north from 9th Avenue and Denny Way"

Apr. 3, 1929

Photograph number 7416 from the Seattle Municipal Archives Photograph Collection.

"Denny Regrade, northeast from Fifth Avenue and Blanchard Street"

Oct. 16, 1929

Photograph number 7882 from the Seattle Municipal Archives Photograph Collection.

"Denny Regrade"

Oct. 16, 1929

Photograph number 7886 from the Seattle Municipal Archives Photograph Collection.

"Denny Regrade looking north from the Benjamin Franklin Hotel"

Dec. 2, 1930

Photograph number 8854 from the Seattle Municipal Archives Photograph Collection.

"Cutting room": interior of Black Manufacturing Company at 1130 Rainier Avenue South

n.d.

"Chief inspectors overall department": interior of Black Manufacturing Company at 1130 Rainier Avenue South

n.d.

Interior of machine room at Black Manufacturing Company at 1130 Rainier Avenue South

n.d.

Photographs made at time of report (photocopies)

1/3

Stadium High School, Tacoma (design by Frederick Heath)

n.d.

Photographer: McCaughan, Karen

Photocopies of photographs 1-16

1998

Color photographs (photocopies)

Oct. 1998

Photographer: McCaughan, Karen

1/3

Oblique view of building from northeast

Compare with historic photograph 1.

Entry on 8th Avenue, showing terra cotta detailing surrounding the recess

Sheet metal awnings and turned wood spandrel on Virginia Street façade

Floral terra cotta medallions on 8th Avenue façade

Detail of Italianate corbeling at the pier at the corner of 8th Avenue and Virginia Street

Detail of pre-cast ornamental banding at Virginia Street entry

West façade of building, showing:industrial sash windows and elevator penthouse

Loading ramp on west façade of building

Subject Terms

Personal Names:

Boyle, Susan D. (Susan Dian), author.

Edeler, Jed, photographer.

McCaughan, Karen, photographer.

Organizations:

A.V. Love Dry Goods and Loft Building (Seattle, Wash.)--Photographs.

Geographic Names:

Seattle (Wash.)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Photographs.

Subjects:

Art deco (Architecture)--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs.

Commercial buildings--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs.

Historic buildings--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs.

Warehouses--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs.

Genre Headings:

Architectural photographs.