Mutual Life Building - Seattle, WA - Frieze Art on Waymarking.com

In the Pioneer Square section of Seattle, the older building have much character to them in contrast to many of the more modern skyscrapers in the downtown area. For instance, the Mutual Life Building, on the southwestern side of Pioneer Square, has neat features, even if they are less visible from the street compared to the Pioneer Building on the other side of the square. From the street, the main entrance is in shadow, recessed in an alcove. But, when you step into the alcove and look around, the intricate designed carved on wood paneling become apparent.

The main entrance faces First Avenue. The building is generally painted a pastel orange with pale yellow trim. The alcove edges have some fine detail carved into the stone. There is a short set of stairs to the entrance. The wood panels inside are all carved in patterns that include leaf shapes intertwining or in pinwheels. There are also hints of straight features that the leaves intertwine. The doors, two of them that swing outward, are plane in contrast to the decorative work around them.

This building was built by 1893 and was named the Yesler Building, after Henry Yesler who had it built. When the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York established an office there in 1897, the building was renamed the Mutual Life Building, which it has been its name since.

The building, like other buildings in Pioneer Square, went into disrepair and was threatened with demolition. In March 1983, Historic Seattle purchased the building and rebuilt it, including installing seismic structural reinforcements - which probably minimized damage in a recent earthquake. The first floor entrance was left as is.

Other Sources:

Historic Seattle (Mutual Life Building):
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Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (Mutual Life Building):
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Artist: Elmer Fisher is the architect of the building, especially the 1st floor. Address: 605 First Avenue Seattle, WA Web URL to relevant information: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log   10/10/2014 quigquay visited it 12/30/2012 NW_history_buff visited it

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