National Register of Historic Places

Arctic Building

Seattle, King County, Washington
Listed
November 28, 1978
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
78002749

About this property

The Arctic Club Building is a ten-story hotel in Seattle, Washington located at the Northeast corner of Third Avenue and Cherry Street. Built in 1914 for the Arctic Club, a social group established by wealthy individuals who experienced Alaska's gold rush (Klondike Gold Rush), it was occupied by them from construction until the club's dissolution in 1971. It is entirely faced with cream white terra cotta with submarine blue and orange-brown accents. The building is recognizable by the terra cotta walrus head sculptures lining the third floor of the building and its iconic polar bear in the Polar Bar, the hotel's bar and cocktail lounge. It is one of the finest examples of multi-colored matte glaze terra cotta work in the city. In 2008, the building was restored and adapted for use as a luxury hotel, the Arctic Club Hotel. A rooftop garden used by the social club was replaced with a penthouse office suite. It was designed by architect A. Warren Gould. In 1978 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Location

306 Cherry St.
Seattle, King County, Washington
47.60376, -122.33179

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Rector Hotel
Industrial
0 mi
Hoge Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Leamington Hotel and Apartments
Industrial
0.1 mi
First Methodist Episcopal Church
Industrial
0.1 mi
Lyon Building
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Puget Sound War — Battle of Seattle (January 26, 1856)
1856Indian Wars
0.2 mi
Yakama War — Battle of Seattle
1856Indian Wars
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Arctic Building listed on the National Register?

Arctic Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 28, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Arctic Building?

Arctic Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Arctic Building?

The period of significance for Arctic Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Arctic Building?

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