The Seattle Times: Pacific NW 12/04/2005: Setting The Standard

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Now And Then

By Paul Dorpat

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Setting The Standard

COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF HISTORY & INDUSTRY

Raised up in 1905-07 while Denny Hill was being cut down behind it, the Schoenfeld family's new furniture store was a fine example of what architectural historian Dennis Andersen describes as architect Augustus Warren Gould's "restrained sense of ornament, favoring instead to accent the splendor of site arrangement and visibility of the structure."

PAUL DORPAT

The building has been stripped of what ornament it had, including its terra-cotta tiling, and houses the Nordstrom Rack.

HERE WE SEE what The Seattle Times headlined the "Unique and Attractive 'Seattle Day' Decoration of Standard Furniture Company's Store" on Sept. 5, 1909. The Times reporter's often thrilled description of "the most unique and attractive store decoration ever seen in Seattle" went like this:

"The idea typifies the 'Spirit of Seattle' with a full, life-sized figure of Chief Seattle in his 'glory paint and trappings' in the foreground, surrounded by a forest of real evergreen trees, his Indian teepee . . . and tripod from which actual red fire is produced." Behind this is a "scenic background of Mount Rainier, over which appears to be the real rays of the shimmering moon. The entire effect is spectacular and realistic . . . Surrounding the immense glass canopy over the store's entrance are eight large cast-ivory figures representing 'Seattle' with outstretched arms, from which a magnificent series of hundreds of colored electric lights and floral festooning is hung."

The following day was Seattle Day at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition on the University of Washington campus. Above the front door of this furniture emporium is hung the slogan of the day, "We'll Be There!"

The Schoenfelds were often "there" for Seattle celebrations. During a long career of sales at Second Avenue and Pine Street they used the front door and Second Avenue side of their skyscraper for many dazzling effects. For instance, after Seattle Day, the chief was replaced with what The Times reported on Oct. 3 was "an immense oil painting of President Taft (for his visit to the exposition) surrounded with hundreds of yards of national colored bunting mounted with an immense gold eagle and a large electric flag which, when lighted, gave a brilliant 'wave effect.' "

Paul Dorpat specializes in historical photography and has published several books on early Seattle.