Bell Apartments, Seattle, Washington
historic place
The Bell Apartments, also known as the Austin A. Bell Building, stands at 2324 1st Avenue in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. Construction began in 1889 and was completed in 1890. The building is named for Austin Americus Bell, whose father, William Nathaniel Bell, was an early Seattle pioneer and the namesake of Belltown. Austin Bell proposed the building, but his wife, Eva, oversaw its completion after his death in 1889. Noted Northwest architect Elmer Fisher designed the structure, incorporating Richardsonian, Gothic, and Italianate elements. Originally intended for commercial use, its 65 office suites were rented as apartments by the end of 1890. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and became a City of Seattle Landmark in 1978. The Bell Apartments remains a significant historic landmark in Belltown.