The Sterling — the 1950s-era 323 Bellevue Ave E apartment complex CHS called the “anti-aPodment” for its design mimicing the privacy of a single family home environment — is not an official Seattle landmark.
The Landmark Preservation Board rejected the property from the city’s protection and monitoring program last month.
While landmark nomination activity in Seattle is often connected to pending sales and development plans, there are no records of any transactions or construction planning currently filed for the address.
The Sterling was completed in 1956 and named for original owner Sterling Taylor, “a Seattle attorney and polio survivor who worked as an advocate for people with disabilities,” according to the nomination. He and his wife, Frances Taylor, developed the property and managed the apartments until his death in 1972. In 2005 after a series of owners, Dan Chua bought the property for $1,050,000.
When are we going to get a QUALIFIED Landmark Board that doesn’t act as though it’s owned by developers?
The landmark board is anything but owned by developers. The board is extremely pro landmarking anything that even remotely qualifies. Have you ever actually been to any of the board’s meetings?
Good, it’s hideous. As are a majority of the buildings they try to landmark around here. I guess I understand though, Seattle’s desperate to claim it has great old architecture like NYC or Chicago. Those cities should landmark a lot if buildings. Seattle on the other hand only has a few buildings worth saving. Savibg these dumps only means less space for the possibility of great architecture in the future.
Hear, hear.
Hear, hear, HEAR!
I would agree, except that we are getting very little “great architecture” in Seattle. Quite the contrary.
[…] apartment set to replace The Sterling, a 1956-built apartment building rejected last year as a possible Seattle landmark. In January, developers brought a plan for a building with 24 mostly two bedroom units, 1,500 […]