1305 Sixth Avenue (1910)

Turn left onto Sixth Avenue

This apartment building, was constructed in 1910, it is Neoclassical in style. The Neoclassical style utilizes some of the same design elements as the Colonial Revival style, although proportions are often different. Facades are generally symmetrical. Porches are monumental in scale, reaching the full double–story height of the building

This apartment building, was constructed in 1910, it is Neoclassical in style. The Neoclassical style utilizes some of the same design elements as the Colonial Revival style, although proportions are often different. Facades are generally symmetrical. Porches are monumental in scale, reaching the full double–story height of the building. As a result, the columns are large, usually referred to as “colossal.” Porticos, instead of full façade porches, are common, further emphasizing the height of the columns. Windows and doors are placed symmetrically, and the multiple lights that were common with Colonial Revival are less frequent, with sometimes only the top portion of the window having multiple panes. Clustering multiple windows is more likely in this design than in the Colonial Revival style. Other features are side wings, roofline and porch–level balustrades, exaggerated broken pediments, and paneled front doors. This apartment building with its hipped roof, delicately detailed column capitals, turned balustrades and leaded fanlight in the attic level epitomizes the style. Neoclassical Revival architecture developed in part from the public’s earlier interest in Colonial Georgian and Federal forms. But other styles blended into the mix, including civic architecture from Greece and Rome, and Neoclassical forms from the Italian Renaissance (which were loosely based on Greco–Italian forms). Designers blended architectural details from these periods. Ernest Goettling, a native of Germany, was the contractor responsible for the construction of this apartment building and the one next door at 1301 Sixth Avenue.

A Walking Tour of the Wedge District. Tacoma, Wa. Historic Tacoma Press, 2009.