The Loveless Building: A Brief History

First of all, could there be a more ironic name for this beautiful structure? Today I went on a little adventure (physically and electronically) to find out more about this wonderful piece of Capitol Hill history.

The mastermind behind the building was Arthur L. Loveless (1873-1971). Raised in New York, Loveless studied architecture at Columbia University before dropping out and moving to Seattle in 1907. He worked with a number of important architects and soon gained fame for his distinct Tudor Revivalist style. Through the 1920's Loveless worked on many prominent residences throughout the Puget Sound region. He also designed more Greek Row houses at the UW than any other architect, including Zeta Psi Fraternity, Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, and Delta Gamma Sorority. [1]

But of course, his most famous work, constructed in 1930, was the Loveless building. The buildings was originally known as the Studio Building, as it was a place for Seattle artists to live and work. Notable artists who rented the building include the photographers Ella E. McBride and Myra Albert Wiggins, as well as Arthur Loveless himself.[2] In subsequent years the artist's studios were turned into apartments, and you can currently get a hold of a 1-bedroom (with working fireplace) for about $1500 a month[3]. Another of the buildings original tenants was the Russian Samovar, which commissioned the brilliant muralist Vladimir Shkurkin (who had previously painted the inside of the Seattle Civic Auditorium) to decorate the walls.  Shkurkin's murals depict a story of a swan-turned-princess, by Alexander Pushkin, and can still be viewed at Philippe Thomelin's Olivar.  In 1961 the Loveless building received recognition from the American Institute of Architects as an outstanding structure.

View of the Courtyard

More pictures of the Studio (Loveless) Building and other Loveless designed buildings here.

[1] Information on Loveless' life from the DON.

[2] Cited near the bottom of this article under "Depression Years".

[3] For more information about renting call: 206.325.3898