Our newest city landmark: Edris Skinner Nurses Home

Queen Anne has a new City of Seattle landmark. On Wednesday, May 16, 2018, the Landmarks Preservation Board (LPB) voted to designate the Edris Skinner Nurses Home at the corner of Boston Street and First Avenue North (2120 First Ave N) a Seattle landmark. Noted architect Abraham H. Albertson designed the building. Congratulations to Brian Regan, the property owner and future developer of the block-long site, who prepared the nomination posted HERE. The decision now goes to the City Council which is sure to vote for designation.

Children's Hospital / Nurses Home

Although the Society endorsed the nomination as meeting five designation criteria (see our email of May 15 posted HERE), the LPB decided that the home, built in 1923, only met criteria C and D. Since a building need meet only one of the five criteria to be designated a city landmark, there is no reason to object to the board's logic in rejecting the reasons we gave for other criteria. It does seem noteworthy, however, that the board chose not to acknowledge the building's social significance and the often sexist attitudes towards women in health care work at the turn of the 20th century.

Once known as the Frances Skinner Edris Nurses home, this registered Landmark housed the nurses for the Children’s Orthopedic Hospital.

Nurses relax outside the Frances Skinner Edris Nurses’ Home

The building more recent operates as the Arbor Space Offices, in respect to the giant red oak trees lining the building's sidewalk.

Reference: 

• "History in Perspective / Housing nurses and nuns" (by Michael Herschensohn, Queen Anne News 10/8/2013