Eight Seattle landmarks: quiz answers

1. Denny's building, Northwest Market Street and 15th Avenue Northwest

Answer: F

No one seems to recall another instance when a landmark was designated on the basis of "F" alone. For all the talk of the building's Googie-style architecture, Denny's didn't make the cut for "D."

2. Admiral Theatre, 2343 California Ave. S.W.

Answer: B, C, D, E and F

The board praised the Admiral as an outstanding work of historically important Seattle architect B. Marcus Priteca. The building also represents the final peak in popularity of the neighborhood-theater phenomenon and illustrates the transition from the ornate picture palaces of the '20s and '30s to the more streamlined midcentury design. Its location at the heart of the Admiral commercial district contributes to the identity of the neighborhood.

3. Kubota Gardens, 9817 55th Ave. S.

Answer: C, D, E and F

More than a half-century of labor and aesthetic planning by one family, headed by Fujitaro Kubota, resulted in a fine representation of the Japanese approach to gardening, the board said. It is an open-space oasis within an otherwise built-up environment in Southeast Seattle.

4. Space Needle, Seattle Center

Answer: A, B, C, D, E and F

Believed to be the only Seattle landmark that has met all six criteria, including the rarely used "A." The Space Needle's association with the 1962 World's Fair made that a slam dunk.

5. Frederick & Nelson building, Sixth Avenue and Pine Street

Answer: B, C and F

If you doubt the cultural significance this department store had on Seattle, just ask someone who grew up here. The board also recognized the significance of D.E. Frederick as a Seattle retail pioneer and the prominent location of the building in the heart of downtown's retail core. The building's architecture did not make it a landmark.

6. The house at 1816 26th Ave.

Answer: B and C

This classic bungalow is a landmark not because of the house itself, but because of who lived and worked there. James W. Washington Jr., an important African-American sculptor, bought the house in 1945 and had his art studio in the basement before building a separate addition out back.

7. L'Amourita apartments, 2900 block of Franklin Avenue East

Answer: D and F

The gabled roof, clay-tile shingles, arched openings and stucco cladding combine for a fine example of Mission Revival architecture, a style that is rare in the Pacific Northwest. Its location, easily visible from Interstate 5, makes it a signature building in Eastlake.

8. Fireboat Duwamish, Lake Union Park

Answer: A, C, D and F

Part of Seattle's marine and waterfront legacy since 1909, the Duwamish is a product of an era when huge pumping-capacity fireboats were needed to protect wharves, docks and warehouses along Seattle's central waterfront. The boat is associated with the Grand Trunk Pacific Dock fire in 1914 in which the largest wooden structure of its kind on the West Coast burned — and the Duwamish kept the fire from spreading farther.

— Stuart Eskenazi