Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Seattle grew rapidly in the first decade of the twentieth century, and the
real-estate business boomed, leading to several rags-to-riches stories of
people who came to Seattle with nearly nothing and created wealth for
themselves and others in land and construction transactions. Civic leader
Henry Broderick (1880-1975) and developer Herbert S. Turner (1866-1941), for
instance, are well known. "Mrs. Corinne Simpson," as Corinne Wilson called
herself then, seems to have been the only woman who succeeded in building her
own real-estate business; and when she married George Wilson, they ran the
company together as the Corinne Simpson-Wilson Company.
In 1907, Corinne Simpson's real-estate office was still in the Epler Block,
but she had moved her home to the Bradbury Apartments at 718 Cherry Street. In
1908, the business moved to 702-3-4 American Bank Building (2nd Avenue,
northeast corner of Madison Street). Both Simpson and her mother were listed
in Polk's Seattle Directory as living at the Roycroft Apartments, which were
built in 1906 and still stand at 317 Harvard Avenue E (formerly Harvard Avenue
N).
George Washington Wilson was born on January 28, 1878, in Chicago, Illinois.
He engaged in the real-estate business before coming to Seattle. Biographies
of Wilson say that he moved to Seattle in 1907 and that he and Corinne Simpson
met originally at the 1905 world's fair. This is possible, but Wilson does not
appear in Polk's Seattle Directory until 1910, when he was listed as a
salesman for R. E. Erskine & Company (real estate) in downtown Seattle and
resided at the YMCA. In 1911 he and Simpson married (perhaps on June 19) and
then became partners in the Corinne Simpson-Wilson Company. There was a
Wilson & Company real-estate business in the University District as early as
1908; however, it was owned and operated by Winfield S. Wilson.
The Wilsons lived with Corinne's mother at 1150 N 77th until 1913, when they
moved both home and business to the University District at 5205 14th Avenue NE
(University Way). In 1914, their phone number was listed as Kenwood 9. In
1915, the Corinne Simpson-Wilson Company continued to exist, but a new
business called University Realty Company was developed by the Wilsons. In
1918, the Wilsons moved to 4705 14th Avenue NE (University Way) and retained
their phone number of Kenwood 9. In 1919, The Herald (the University District
newspaper) ran a contest requesting suggestions for a new name for the "Ave,"
as 14th Avenue NE was affectionately called. A prize was offered by the
Corinne Simpson-Wilson Company, which was donated to charity by the winner, A.
J. Quigley, who dubbed the street "University Way."
In 1923, the Wilsons lived in the newly built Wilsonian Apartment Hotel (room
701) and conducted their University Realty Company from across the street,
with George Wilson as president and Corinne Wilson as secretary treasurer.
John W. McKernan, Corinne's youngest brother, joined the Corinne Simpson-
Wilson Company as a salesman, and he and his wife Catherine M. (Katie)
McKernan lived at 4244 1st Avenue NE. In 1924, the Wilsons were still living
in the Wilsonian and the Corinne Simpson-Wilson Company was also listed at
that address. John McKernan and his wife moved to 4211 6th Avenue NE and he
continued working for his sister and brother in law's company.
Corinne Wilson died at home on August 4, 1929. She was survived by three of
her four brothers: John McKernan of Seattle, Charles A. McKernan of Detroit,
and Joseph M. McKernan of St. Louis. The funeral took place at her home,
officiated by Rev. McLauchlan and Rev. Gowen. Corinne Simpson Wilson is buried
at Evergreen-Washelli Cemeteries at 11111 Aurora Avenue N. After his sister's
death, John McKernan became president of the Corinne Simpson-Wilson Company.
Isn't It Grand
The Wilsonian cost $850,000 to build ($10,432,093 in 2007 dollars) and opened
on November 26, 1923. Hotel News of the West featured it on the cover of its
issue of April 26, 1924, as well as in several of the issue's articles.
The Wilsonian was splendid. The apartments varied in size: they were suites of
two to five rooms, and all 99 units were arranged with outside windows in the
U-shaped building. The apartments offered Murphy beds and electric ranges. The
shared spaces -- lobby, lounges, and dining rooms -- were luxuriously
furnished and lighted. Lamps were created especially for the hotel and caged
birds chirped in the lobby.
The Wilsonian was advertised as the most elegant apartment hotel outside of
New York City. The ballroom next door to the Wilsonian was elegant, and the
so-called Peacock Room dining room must have been especially decorative.
Apparently, the dining opportunities at the Wilsonian were quite special in
the 1930s. An ad in the Christmas 1933 issue of Seattle's Town Crier, read:
"The PERFECT HOSTESS. The Wilsonian's private dining rooms, with the
Wilsonian's exceptional cuisine and service, offer hostesses a new and
delightful charm for their teas, luncheons or dinners." Listed were the Main
Dining Room, the Peacock Room, and the Via Fontana, which was pictured.
(Bessie Street Sather was listed as the hotel manager.)
Both of the Wilsons were involved in creating the Wilsonian. Corinne Wilson is
credited with codirecting the selection of furniture and interiors with George
J. Young of Standard Furniture Company. She may have been instrumental in
designing the dining facilities and in engaging Helen Swope, a graduate of the
University of Washington, as the first manager of the Peacock Room. Corinne
also designed the ballroom, while her husband coordinated the construction of
the building and was proud of doing so without labor strife.
The Wilsons enlivened promotion of their new building with a story from their
life together: "The Wilsons met on the 9th day of the month, were engaged on
the 9th of the month, married on the 9th of the month; their first telephone
was Kenwood 9, and the Wilsonian has 99 apartments" (Hotel News of the West,
14). A romantic story, if not entirely supported by historical records. Sadly,
George Wilson became ill on the 9th of July, 1928, leading to his death later
that month.
In 1928, the Wilsonian was managed by J. H. Hicks and the dining rooms by
Helen Swope. Swope managed the dining rooms through most of the 1930s. In
1930, C. H. Castle Jr. managed the apartment hotel, and in 1938 that duty fell
to George M. King. By 1940, the Wilsonian was called the Wilsonian Apartments
and Irene Atwood was the manager. In 1951, the building was again called the
Wilsonian Apartment Hotel, with a number of businesses and professional
offices. In 1954, the building name was unchanged, and a Wilsonian Cafe was
present.
The Wilsonian hosted numerous visitors and social affairs over the years
and sheltered a number of famous residents. Locally, the most famous were
Bertha Knight Landes and her husband Henry. The Landeses were longtime
residents of the University District. Henry taught geology at the University
of Washington and later was dean of Arts and Sciences. In 1922, Bertha was
elected to the Seattle City Council and then, in 1926, was elected mayor of
the city. The Landeses moved into an apartment in the Wilsonian (room 712)
soon after it opened. Bertha lived there until 1941.
Seligman's gallery was financed in part by Northwest painter Mark Tobey (1890-
1976), and Seligman became Tobey's local agent and subsequently agent to Guy
Anderson (1906-1998), Windsor Utley (1920-1989), and Wesley Wehr, among other
artists who became known as the Northwest School. Seligman moved the gallery
across the street in 1962, where it remained after he died under the ownership
and management of Francine Seders (b. 1932), who had worked closely with
Seligman.
The Otto Seligman Gallery was an exciting art gallery, showing works by
Northwest artists along with contemporary works from Europe and Asia. Although
many of the offerings were paintings, Seligman also mounted shows of weaving,
sculpture, prints, and sometimes mixed media. Art critics from both the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Seattle Times reviewed the shows regularly.
"The nine collages by Alberto Burri now at the Otto Seligman Gallery hold
sufficient chaos to explode most groups of gallery visitors into violent
argument for at least five years" (Seattle P-I, February 22, 1956).
"Although [J. J.] Tharrats is not as guilty as Mark Tobey, Wolfgang Wols,
Mathieu, Hans Hartung, Jean Fautrier and others of the 'poetic,' 'musical'
school to which Otto Seligman seems to be attached, he, too, frequently gives
one the feeling that he is trying to do something with paint that paint can't
do" (Seattle P-I, February 16, 1964).
Becoming a Landmark
Prior to the Otto Seligman Gallery, the Wilsonian was already a hub of arts
events. According to the Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters, their Annual
Extravaganza and Art Auction "started modestly and quietly enough at the
Wilsonian Hotel in the University District" on November 2, 1932. The group's
website continues:
"The chairman of the facilities committee was charged with locating a suitable
place for the occasion. In those days, this translated to 'low cost' and the
management of the Wilsonian rose to the challenge, providing a sumptuous
dinner for seventy five cents with an added bonus of fuel for the dining room
fireplace included free.
"Since there was no money in the treasury for paid entertainment, ... a mock
auction was held just to lighten the affair. Proceeds were nineteen dollars
and fifty cents. Dr. Richard Fuller, an early day patron of the group, bought
a woodcarving and watercolor, planting the seed of what in years to come was a
financial mainstay for the organization. Even the newspapers were paying
attention, with the Post-Intelligencer reporting the event as a 'typically
Bohemian evening'" (Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters website).
The art auction became an annual event and funded numerous programs in support
of the arts locally.
The Wilsonian was popular with dentists. Alta G. Campbell was a dentist there
in the late 1930s and again in the 1950s. In 1953, room 201 became home to the
office of dentist Earl C. Maston, and the suite continued as a dental office
after Maston -- Fred C. Wemer practiced there until he retired, and then came
Randall D. Broom, still practicing there in 2009.
The owner of the Wilsonian in 2009 is University Communities LLC, and the
building is managed by Jamey Holmes ARM CPM. According to the company:
"The Wilsonian is no longer a hotel, but it now offers seven floors of classic
apartments. The building features a range of apartment sizes, including:
efficiency studios (248-294 square feet), studios (410-473 square feet), and
one and two bedrooms (649 to 908 square feet). The building also offers an
impressive range of sizes for commercial space" (contemporary Wilsonian
website).
Previous owners Tom and Kristin Ferguson arranged for the Wilsonian to be
nominated as a city landmark, and it was so designated by the City of Seattle
Landmarks Preservation Board in October 2005.
Sources:
Harry Hume, Prosperous Washington (Seattle: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 1906);
Roy Nielsen, UniverCity: The Story of the University District in Seattle
(Seattle, University Lions Foundation, 1986); George W. Wilson, Seattle and
Environs 1852-1924, vol. 3, ed. by Cornelius Hanford (Chicago and Seattle:
Pioneer Historical Publishing Co., 1924); Wesley Wehr, The Accidental
Collector: Art, Fossils and Friendships (Seattle: University of Washington
Press, 2004); Polk's City Directory, Seattle (1905-1954); Hotel News of the
West, No. 17, April 26, 1924; The Town Crier (Seattle), Christmas 1933; "Frank
Hoyt Fowler, A.I.A. and A.S.C.E., Well Known in Local Work, Died Unexpectedly
on December 8th," Washington State Architect Vol. 11, No. 1, December 1931, p.
2; Washington State Architect, January 1922, p. 8; "George W. Wilson Rites Are
Set for Tomorrow," Seattle Daily Times, July 23, 1928, p. 2; "G. W. Wilson's
Will Leaves $200,000 Estate to Widow," Ibid., July 28, 1928, p. 3; "Woman
Realtor to Be Buried Tomorrow; Mrs. Corinne Simpson-Wilson U District Backer,
Is Pneumonia Victim," The Seattle Times, August 5, 1929; Vanessa Ho, "Last
Dance? Wilsonian Grand Ballroom May Face Wrecking Ball; Patrons Fight for 1923
Hall in U District," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 27, 2005
(www.seattlepi.com/local/234113_ncenter27.html); HistoryLink.org Online
Encyclopedia of Washington State History, "Landes, Bertha Knight (1868-1943)"
(by Mildred Andrews), www.historylink.org (accessed October 10, 2008); Dotty
DeCoster e-mail communications with Michele Hansford, Powers Museum, Carthage,
Missouri (October 2, 2008), and Beth Chave, City of Seattle Department of
Neighborhoods (December 1, 2008); City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation
Board, "Report on Designation," Wilsonian Apartments, LPB 402/05, Historic
Preservation Program, City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods; "Roycroft
Apartments," City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Historical Sites
website accessed October 3, 2008
(http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/histroicalsite/QueryResult.aspx?ID=2068636063);
"Wilsonian," City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Historical Sites
website accessed September 30, 2008
(http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/historicalsite/QueryResult.aspx?ID=64); "Wilson
Modern Business College,"City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods,
Historical Sites website accessed October 3, 2008
(http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/historicalsite/QueryResult.aspx?ID=-1840499535);
MCKIERNAN-L Archives, Roots Web website accessed November 14, 2008
(http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/MCKIERNAN/2001-02/0981588896);
"Seattle: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary -- Hoge
Building," National Park Service website accessed October 3, 2008
(www.nps.gov/nr/travel/Seattle/s24.htm); "Fowler, Frank," Pacific Coast
Architecture Database, accessed October 3, 2008
(https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/architects/4687); "The First
Fifty Years," Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters website accessed
September 10, 2008 (www.psgart.org/HTMLpages/History.html); "Original
Wilsonian Floor Plan, Frank H. Fowler, Architect, 1922," Historic Wilsonian
website accessed September 10, 2008 (www.wilsonian.com/arwen); "Brief
History," Historic Wilsonian website accessed September 10, 2008
(www.wilsonian.com/arwen/history.htm); "Original Wilsonian Apartment Ad from
The Seattle Times, Sunday, November 25, 1923," Historic Wilsonian website
accessed September 10, 2008 (www.wilsonian.com/arwen/advert2.htm);
contemporary Wilsonian website accessed December 4, 2008
(www.thewilsonianapts.com); "Art Galleries, Seligman Gallery" clipping file,
Seattle Public Library downtown, 8th floor (hereafter SPL clipping file);
"Paintings Show Poetic Qualities," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 27,
1955 (SPL clipping file); "Graves Show at Seligman Gallery," Ibid., May 15,
1955 (SPL clipping file); "Gallery to Show Morris Works," The Seattle Times,
November 3, 1957 (SPL clipping file); "Artists' Work to be Previewed," Ibid.,
December 31, 1957 (SPL clipping file); "The Visual Arts: 1958 Was Productive
Year for E. B. Michkils," Ibid., January 25, 1959 (SPL clipping file); Ann
Faber, "Look and Listen: Collages Show New Art Medium Here," Seattle Post-
Intelligencer, February 22, 1956, "Facile Collection of 34 Oils at Show,"
Ibid., June 1, 1956, and "Look and Listen: Gallery Has Varied Features for
Show," Ibid., August 3, 1959 (all in SPL clipping file); Tom Robbins, "The
Visual Arts: Spaniard Paints Calligraphy of the Cosmos," The Seattle Times,
February 16, 1964, and "Paintings of J. J. Tharrats, One-Man show at Otto
Seligman Gallery," Ibid., February 16, 1964 (in SPL clipping file); Anne G.
Todd, "The Visual Arts," Ibid., January 22, 1961 (SPL clipping file); Otto
Seligman Gallery, "Summer Announcement," noting Francine Seders as new owner
and manager (SPL clipping file); Otto Seligman Gallery program for "Eight
Prominent Seattle Women Painters," February 6-March 5, 1955, program notes by
Walter F. Isaacs (SPL clipping file); Otto Seligman Gallery programs for May
1956, March 7-28, 1961, and January 1962 (all available in SPL clipping file);
photo with Mr. Fay Chong and Mrs. June Nye, The Seattle Times, March 11, 1956
(SPL clipping file). By Dotty DeCoster, July 29, 2009
Entrance, Wilsonian Apartment Hotel (Frank Hoyt Fowler, 1923), 4710 University
Way, Seattle, August 2009