Pioneer Building

The Pioneer Building is a Richardsonian Romanesque stone, red brick, terra cotta and cast iron building located on the northeast corner of First Avenue and James Street, mere yards from where James Street runs into Yesler Way, in Seattle's Pioneer Square District. Completed in 1892, the Pioneer Building was designed by architect Elmer Fisher, who designed several of the historic district's new buildings following the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. From Seattle's earliest days until the early 1880s, the corner of First and James was the site of Henry Yesler's home, with his steam-powered sawmill located across the way. Yesler moved to his new mansion, designed by architect William E. Boone, three blocks away at 4th and James in 1884. He...