Arch from the former Burke Building -- Seattle, WA
Posted by: 
jkozik
N 47° 36.269 W 122° 20.086
10T E 550001 N 5272555
The entry archway and rooftop elements from the original Burke Building is preserved in the public spaces in front of the Federal Building.
Waymark Code: WM61YF
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 03/18/2009
Views: 18
The denizens or tourists to this part of downtown Seattle might not even notice a couple of architectural remnants that have become part of the plaza that exists in front of the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building. There is a small, bronze plaque that hangs on a brick wall next to the concrete arch that was once the entry to the former Burke Building and says:
This arch and other
architectural components
in the plaza are from the
Burke Building
which was built on this site
in 1895
I found a couple of websites that highlight the history of this block, which was the site of where the Great Fire of 1889 was started and also the site of the home of A.A. Denny, one of the founders of Seattle in 1852. The gsa.gov website says the following regarding these architectural remnants of the Burke Building:
The site is the original location of the Romanesque Revival style Burke Building (1889-1891), which was constructed in the aftermath of the Great Seattle Fire. Local preservationists lobbied against the government's 1971 demolition of the Burke Building, which cleared the site for the new office tower (and current Henry M. Jackson Federal Building). Although the project proceeded as planned, the architects incorporated architectural fragments of the landmark building into their design. Elements such as the Romanesque entry arch, which is part of the landscaped plaza on Second Avenue, represent a compromise that, though not prevalent today, was often employed in the early years of the historic preservation movement.
There is also mention of these former Burke Building remnants on the jacksonfederalbuilding.info website:
Seattle’s Great Fire proved to be a catalyst for growth and redevelopment in this young city. After the debris from the fire had been cleared, the street level was raised a total of 22 inches. After the Great Seattle Fire, which was started on the site of the Federal Office Building in 1889, Second Avenue flourished as a center of business. The property value skyrocketed, and the residential area and buildings were mostly replaced by commercial buildings. While many of these turn of the century commercial buildings have been replaced by more modern architecture, traces of this time are preserved at the Jackson Federal Building ... Located on the Second Avenue plaza is the Burke arch, the preserved main façade entrance to the Burke Building. Built in 1892, this structure was the previous building on the JFB lot and was owned by Judge Thomas Burke, a key figure in making certain that the downtown area, as well as the Pacific Northwest, flourished ... Elmer Fisher (the Burke Building's architect) has many contributions to the architecture of Seattle. Between the Great Fire in 1889 and 1899, Fisher designed 40 structures, including the well-known Pioneer Building. When the Jackson Federal Building was constructed, the General Services Administration prioritized saving portions of Fisher’s architecture as an important monument to the previous era and architecture.
I found a wonderful website, sepiatown.com, that has wonderful old black and white pictures placed on a city map of Seattle showing the angles from which they were taken and have included a picture of the former Burke Building with green circles around the remnants of the building that exist in the plaza today, below:
Links:
Emporis Entry
Preservation Seattle Article
Wiki