An artwalk through Harvard-Belmont

Located on the west slope of Capitol Hill, the Harvard-Belmont Landmark District is significant to Seattle as a well-preserved, essentially residential neighborhood which retains its individual identity as an area of fine homes built by the city's leading financiers, industrialists, merchants and businessmen in the early years of the 20th century. Here are 20 points of artistic interest.

1: Broadway & East Roy Street. The Deluxe Bar & Grill. Originally established as Thomas G. McClannahan's Beer Parlor in 1938, the tavern name was changed in 1942 to the Deluxe. Long considered a favorite watering hole of the bohemian counter-culture, famous patrons included Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Guy Anderson and numerous musicians and artists.

2: Broadway & Roy Street. The Loveless Building. Built in 1928-30, the Loveless Building originally housed artisan shops and capacious apartments. The restaurant still houses the exquisite original murals by V. Shkurkin, formerly of the Moscow Arts Theatre, which were cleaned and restored in 2005

3: 807 East Roy Street. The Women's Century Club. Across the street from the Loveless building is the Women's Century Club. Built in 1925, the club, which still meets, has focused on civic and cultural improvement.

4: 800 East Roy Street. The Rainer Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Built in 1925, the DAR is a reduced replication of George Washington's home in Mt. Vernon. Individual members contributed period furnishings to create a bit of colonial America on the West Coast.

5: 710 East Roy Street. Kerry Hall, Cornish College of the Arts. Built in 1921 by A.H. Albertson for school founder Nellie Cornish, Kerry Hall was named after longtime school patron Olive Kerry.

6: 1005 East Roy Street & 730 Belmont Avenue East. These are two apartment buildings designed by self-taught architect Fred Anhalt. The Neo-Norman architectural style was inspired by photo-gravures of the English countryside. The Ten-0-Five building also features the first underground parking garage created for an apartment building in Seattle.

7: The corner of Prospect and Boylston, aka Mystery Streets. Two streets which appeared on the original city plat were eventually removed. If you stand on this corner, you can still trace elements of the retaining walls for the roads.

8: 814 East Highland Drive. The Sam Hill House. Built in 1909 by the firm of Hornblower & Marshall, this unique house was created using concrete as the primary material. Mr. Hill, who had made his large fortune from the same material, used this residence to entertain the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Queen Maire of Romania.

9: 1245 10th Avenue East. St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral. Begun in late 1928, the first years of the cathedral were very rocky financially with the property closed and sublet to the army for the duration of World War II as a school for anti-aircraft training. In 1947, a spirited fund drive allowed the doors to re-open.

10: 1051 Tenth Avenue East. St. Nicholas School [Cornish North 1981-2003]. Designed by the Seattle architectural firm of Gould & Bebb in 1926, this school became a prep academy for girls until the school merged with Lakeside in 1971. St. Mark's Cathedral bought the building from Cornish in early 2003.

11: 1600 Broadway East. Streissguth Gardens. The gardens are an important link to the trails in the St. Mark's Cathedral Greenbelt. Many visitors also enjoy walking up or down the steps which connect 10th Avenue East to Lakeview Boulevard East.

12: East Howe Street. Grand Army of the Republic [GAR] Cemetery. Given to veterans of the Civil War by Huldah & David Kaufman in 1896, the GAR is unique in being the only veteran's cemetery not under the jurisdiction of the U.S. military. The grounds are maintained by the Seattle Parks Department.

13: 15th Avenue East. Louisa Boren Park. Site of spectacular views of the east-side, this park features a trail head which leads out of the district.

14: Lakeview Cemetery. Opened in 1873, the cemetery holds the remains of such notables as Doc Maynard, Arthur Denny, Henry Yessler, Hiram Chittenden, Dexter Horton, Thomas Mercer, Captain William Renton & Princess Kick-i-som-loo [daughter of Chief Seattle]. Movie stars Bruce and Brandon Lee and the remains of 49 Nisei [Japanese-Americans] who died fighting the Axis powers in World War II are also to be found here.

15: Volunteer Park. [City Park or The Big Park] was established in 1892 as first Lake View Park then City Park. Eventually the park was named in honor of the veterans of the Spanish-American War. After the success of the Klondike Gold Rush, the city hired the famed Olmstead firm to create a series of city parks. John Charles Olmstead came to Seattle in 1903 and prepared a plan. In 1908, the city passed a bond issue to implement the Olmstead plan.

15a. The Pergola & Music Pavilion was designed by the Olmstead firm in 1910.

15b. The Conservatory came as a kit from 1912 from Hitchings & Company, a New York firm. Built in 1914, the Conservatory benefited from a donation of 600 orchids from Anna and James Clise in 1919 and installed in 1921. These facilities provided the Seattle Parks System with all of the bedding plants up to the 1990s

15c. The Seattle Art Museum [Seattle Asian Art Museum], was built in 1932 from funds donated by Mrs. Fuller and her son Dr. Fuller. Designed by the local firm Gould & Beeb, the art museum soon proved to be a magnet for the citizens of Seattle. With the opening of the Seattle Art Museum downtown, the facility was renamed The Seattle Asian Art Museum.

15d. The water tower and reservoir were built in 1906 and 1901, respectively. Park visitors can climb the stairs to the top of the tower and enjoy many views of the greater metropolitan area or stroll the perimeter of the reservoir.

16. 14th Avenue East [from Prospect to Mercer streets]. Stroll through "Millionaire's Row" where many of Seattle's oldest and grandest mansions still stand.

17: 1058 East Mercer Street. Lowell Elementary School. Built in 1890 as the Pontius School, it was renamed in 1910 for the poet James Russell Lowell. The campus benefited from land purchases in 1889, 1913 and 1921. In 1993, a pedestrian overpass was removed over Roy Street and the road closed to traffic.

18: Broadway and East Republican Street. Pilgrim Congregational Church. Designed by architect F.A. Kendell in 1901, this sanctuary is the oldest church on Broadway. It is clad in very distinctive brickwork.

19: The Broadway Market. Built in 1928 to house different stalls of vendors selling fresh produce and baked goods, this structure could be considered a precursor to the modern supermarket. In 1931 it became "Famous for Fine Foods."

20: Harvard Avenue East and East Republican Street. The former Henry Library. Completely rebuilt and opened on May 31, 2003, the original library was named after Susan J. Henry, wife of local arts patron Horace C. Henry.

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