Blackstone Apartments

In the early 20th century, Capitol Hill was one of the wealthier areas of Seattle. It has since been transformed into a hip, urban area for young professionals; it is known as the gay village in Seattle. The Blackstone Apartments are one of the few pre-World War II complexes remaining in Capitol Hill; post-WWII apartments differed greatly in this area. These newer complexes looked consistent, but with their large windows and courtyards, privacy was lost; they no longer reflected the luxurious apartments which Capitol Hill had once been known for.[5] The Blackstone, however, which also had large windows, had been built with a raised first floor to prevent passersby from peering into the private lives lived inside the units.

The 1920s in Seattle saw a change in the style of popular architecture. Inspired by the newness of the country, Seattle architects had expressed freedom in their architectural creations.[6] By this time people's interest in the Arts and Crafts Movement, seen in the popular residential bungalow designs in the early 20th century, was beginning to decline.[7] Design now turned to an eclectic-historic combination, particularly of the Classical Revival and English Revival styles.[8] The Blackstone particularly reflects this turn, combining Classical design elements with modern technology.

The early 20th century became a difficult time for architectural identification; no longer could a building be designated as vernacular architecture (folk culture) or as elite architecture (designed by an architect), but rather something in the middle.[9] To contribute to the confusion of identification, most commercial, industrial, and residential buildings in Seattle at this time were designed not by architects but by builders.[10] Because of this, these buildings are often considered to be the best representations of a new kind of architecture in Seattle: popular - vernacular - high-style.[11] The Blackstone Apartments, a residential building designed by a builder and built for the middle to upper class, is a great example of this popular – vernacular – high-style architecture of the pre-WWII era in Seattle.

Immediately after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, some people believed that real estate would be a safer investment than stocks, and many people began to purchase apartment complexes; real estate saw a peak that year in prices, before they began falling as the Great Depression took hold in the country.[12] These investments were particularly popular the weeks preceding the crash in Seattle; only a few weeks after the crash, the Blackstone Apartments became "the largest deal of the kind," selling for $140,000 to John J. Freeley for Mrs. Ada Parfitt.[13] The next closest apartment sale in the Seattle area was for the Rosemont Apartments for $56,000.[14]