John Stamets received his B.A. in photography from Yale University, where he studied with documentary photographer Walker Evans. Stamets is a lecturer in photography in the School of Architecture at the University of Washington. He specializes in photographing historic buildings using the HABS/HAER standards.
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
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.
The photographs in the collection include exterior views (details, perspectives, and elevations) of the Medical Arts Building, as well as the neighboring Taft Building, photographed to Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) standards. Also included are historic reviews and reports.
Collection is open to the public.
Special Collections does not hold the copyright to the Medical Arts Building photographs but has unlimited, nonexclusive rights to the use of the images.
Gift of Tom Croonquist, Wright, Runstad, and Co.
Processed by Larie Smoyer and Shannon Lynch, 2003.
Photograph Collection 346: Historic American Buildings Survey No. WA-197 (Fox Theatre); photographs by John Stamets.
Photograph Collection 442: Historic American Buildings Survey No. WA-201 (Longacres Park); photographs by John Stamets.
Photograph Collection 554: Northwest Buildings Survey No. WA-001 (Fred Nelson Barn/Old Riverview Farms Dairy Barn); photographs by John Stamets according to Historic American Buildings Survey standards.
Photograph Collection 623: Historic American Buildings Survey No. WA-213 (Henry Art Gallery); photographs by John Stamets.
Photograph Collection 627: Historic American Engineering Record No. WA-24 (Skagit River and Newhalem Creek Hydroelectric Projects); photographs by Jet Lowe.