The Grand Central, City Loan, and Buttnick Buildings (collectively, the Grand Central Block) are historic three- and four-story brick buildings that are literally knitted together to comprise an entire half block between Washington and Main Streets in Pioneer Square.
The Grand Central Building was one of the first buildings to rise out of the ashes of the 1889 Seattle fire that destroyed 29 blocks of the city’s commercial core. Designed by San Diego architects Comstock & Troetsche, the building originally was constructed as the Squire-Latimer office building but by 1897 it was converted into a 108-room hotel and renamed the Grand Central Hotel.
The City Loan Building, originally known as the Gottstein Building, was constructed in 1903. The current name comes from The City Loan office, a pawnbroker that occupied a significant portion of the building from 1938-1970.
The Buttnick Building was built in 1909 during the Gold Rush growth spurt in Seattle for the Brunswick–Balke-Collender Company. The company had moved out by the 1920s, and a decade later Harry Buttnick began manufacturing water repellent in the building.
Redevelopment
Grand Central Block is a historic, full-block development in Pioneer Square—Seattle’s oldest neighborhood—constructed between 1889 and 1909. The Grand Central Block historic rehabilitation is in pre-design and preservation review, and has three primary goals: to activate the square, to rehabilitate the buildings, and to adapt the uses. The project is managed by Unico Properties and Graham Baba Architects, and includes participation from nearly 40 neighborhood and city institutions.
