HistoryLink Tours

One prominent architect, Harry E. Hudson, left his signature on many of the First Hill apartments built during the 1920s. They are easily recognized by their names, as Hudson, a transplant from the Northeast, named his buildings after figures of New England history and literature – John Alden, Paul Revere, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and James Russell Lowell. Working with his brother John, a builder, the Hudson brothers created the plans for the Paul Revere and the John Alden, two buildings almost identical in plan and located back-to-back on adjacent sites. The brothers incorporated “the spirit of Colonial America in both structures,” reported the Seattle Times, July 20, 1924.

The four-story, U-shaped John Alden is notable for its brick detailing with brighter colored brick as ornamentation. Cream colored terra cotta is used for cornice and coping and arched panels between windows in the center bay. The entry bay is more ornate, with a narrow portico supported by four columns, window surrounds and pilasters and a shield design on the parapet. The spandrels have a parquet pattern in varying shades of red bricks. The doorway displays sidelights with leaded art glass medallions of ships, pilgrims, and Indians on the shore as well as art glass windows in the lobby depicting the Mayflower leaving Plymouth, England and arriving in Massachusetts.

In the vicinity:

The PAUL REVERE APARTMENTS is located around the block at 1018 9th Avenue. The Paul Revere windows (no longer extant) portrayed the story of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, and a brick pedestal holding a relief of Paul Revere on his horse was centered on the steps.