May 17, 2019

Capitol Hill's Conover House nominated as city landmark

Photo from report by BOLA Architecture + Planning [enlarge]

The circa 1893 Conover House is now a small apartment building.

Seattle's Landmarks Preservation Board on Wednesday voted 6-1 to nominate as a city landmark the Conover House at 1620 16th Ave., which is on a site where Jewish Family Service has proposed a seven-story, 88-unit apartment building and parking garage.

The Covover House was built around 1893 and has been converted to a five-unit apartment building. The nomination covers the site as well as the building exterior and interior.

The board will consider landmark designation at a meeting at 3:30 p.m. June 19 in Room L280 of City Hall at 600 Fourth Ave.

JFS owns the 1620 16th Ave. site, which also has a parking lot.

The apartment proposal includes a 2,400-square-foot restaurant space on the ground floor and below-grade parking for 110 vehicles.

Weinstein A+U is the architect, and Karen Kiest Landscape Architects is on the team.

JFS previously said it will look for a developer to buy the property after the project is entitled.

BOLA Architecture + Planning prepared the landmark nomination application at the request of JFS, a social service agency, in response to the permit requirements for its proposed development.

In Seattle, the landmark nomination process is required in certain circumstances as part of getting a land use permit if a structure could meet the landmark criteria. Landmarks may be demolished only if the owner can demonstrate there is no reasonable economic use. They cannot be significantly altered without a permit from the landmarks board.

The identities of the original designer and builder of the Conover House/Residence are unknown, according to the application, which says it the original building features some characteristics of the Colonial Revival style. The original owners were Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Conover.

Charles Tallmadge Conover was a journalist who worked for the Tacoma Ledger from 1887-1888, and briefly was city editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, according to the application. In 1888, with P-I reporter Samuel Leroy Crawford, he formed Crawford & Conover, a real estate and brokerage firm. The firm took on advertising services, and Conover is credited with coining the name “the Evergreen State” as well as the “Queen City” moniker for Seattle. He was also instrumental in efforts to retain the name of Mount Rainier.