Medical Arts Building Collection, Feb., 1990

Constructed in 1902, designed by architects Saunders and Lawton, and located in the business district of Seattle, the Medical Arts Building was connected with several important Seattle personalities. The Medical Arts Building was known as the Lumber Exchange Building until 1933 and was owned by prominent Seattle citizen Albert Sperry Kerry for a number of years. It contained offices and at one time, the Garvey-Buchanan department store. The building was remodeled in 1950 by Paul Thiry, the celebrated Seattle architect. This renovation was featured in the October, 1950, issue of Architectural Forum (included in the collection).

Built of brick and concrete with stone and masonry trim, the building featured a plaster cornice as well as 15 bronze relief plaques based on Northwest Native American themes by sculptor Everett S. Du Pen.

In 1990, the Medical Arts Building was demolished by Wright, Runstad, & Co., but before its destruction, photographer John Stamets undertook to document the building. Although the Medical Arts Building was not an officially designated landmark, Stamets used the HABS (Historic American Buildings Survey) guidelines for recording historic landmarks. HABS documentation includes large-format photographs and descriptive text.