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Capitol Hill’s next landmark: Broadway’s Eldridge Tire Company

Word is the Capitol Hill Historical Society is exploring what it would take to put plaques in front of every official City of Seattle landmark in the neighborhood. Once the city council eventually signs off on the designation, the society will need one more for Broadway’s Mission Revival-styled Eldridge Tire Company.

This week, the Landmarks Preservation Board agreed the 1925-building today home to Tacos Guaymas and Folicle Hair Design in the 1500 block of Broadway between Pike and Pine is worthy of protections that will preserve portions of its auto row-era design even as it likely is incorporated in preservation incentive-boosted development in the future.

In December, the building’s owner Seattle Central put out a call for developers to make bids in “letters of intent” for leasing or buying the land where the Eldridge Tire building and its neighboring (and landmark-rejected) Stewart Warner service station building stand today for redevelopment “commercial purposes and/or housing, including a potential affordable housing element.” The college said this early step in the development process is part of its potential acquisition and development of Sound Transit “Site D” property adjacent the westside Broadway entrance to Capitol Hill Station. Last spring, Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange told CHS that creating faculty housing on Capitol Hill was a major priority.

Wednesday’s designation puts the property on track for eventual confirmation by the Seattle City Council and ups the chances you’ll see the facade and shape of the former Eldridge Tire Company be part of whatever seven-story building comes next on Broadway.

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Zach
Zach
7 years ago

Nice, a living testament to the blight of cars and a signal to the future that we don’t care about siting housing near transit.

unibrow
unibrow
7 years ago
Reply to  Zach

*eye rolls harder than I have ever eye rolled before*

RWK
RWK
7 years ago
Reply to  Zach

Are you unaware of the large number of new apartments that will go up soon at the light rail station? Or the many new apartment buildings which are being built within blocks of the station?

blancheatthedubois
blancheatthedubois
7 years ago

I”m delighted! I love this little building.