The Rice Apartments is located at 360 W. 13th Avenue in Eugene, Oregon. The apartment building is being nominated to the National Register under Criteria A and C in association with the Residential Architecture in Eugene, Oregon, 1850-1950 Multiple Property Submission (MPS).
Setting The Rice Apartments is located just south of the downtown area in Eugene and approximately twelve blocks west of the University of Oregon campus. The neighborhood includes a mix of commercial and residential uses. The apartment building sits on the south side of 13th Avenue facing north. It is set back only a few feet from the sidewalk. An alley is located on the east side of the building; a narrow driveway on the west side provides a small separation between this building and its neighbor to the west. A four-stall garage for the tenants is located behind the building to the south and is accessed via the alleyway. General characteristics The Rice Apartments building is two stories in height and sits on a concrete basement foundation. The building is basically rectangular in shape with two-story bays on the east and west elevations. A small addition on the rear (south side) of the building dates to the historic period. Stylistically, the building is best described as Colonial Revival, illustrated by the symmetrical facade; centered door flanked by sidelights; shallow hipped roof; and paired double-hung, multi-pane windows. The wood-framed building sits on a concrete foundation with a full basement. The exterior walls are clad with a red brick veneer, laid in a running bond pattern. The roof consists of shallow intersecting hips with a central flat portion. There is virtually no eave; the roof, which connects to the top walls of the building emphasized by a simple, flat cornice frieze, is covered with composition shingles. The predominant window style is six-over-six double hung wood sash. They are paired at the front of the building (corresponding with living, dining and kitchen space) and single at the rear of the building (corresponding with bedrooms and bathrooms). The windows in the bathrooms are slightly smaller than the others. The sashes are set in wood frames; the sills are brick. The windows on the second floor butt against the simple frieze at the roof edge. A double-hung window flanked by sidelights directly above the main entrance lights the stairwell on the front of the building. Beneath this window is a panel covered with shiplap siding. Window boxes planted with flowers are attached beneath the front apartment windows on the first floor. The main entrance, centered on the north elevation, is marked by a porch hood supported by metal brackets. The hood, covered with copper sheathing, is attached to the building directly below the wood panel of the upper window; it flares outward into a convex shaped hipped roof, providing shelter for the front entry. The door opens directly into the center stair hall. The stoop is a concrete pad just one step up from the sidewalk. The front door is a multi-light, wood door; the sidelights each consist of ten small lights. |