site chosen at the southwest corner of 6th Avenue and Union Street, owned by W.D. Comer, then president of the club and a holder of major financial interest. Ford's first proposal was for an elaborate 12-story building in the Mission Revival Style, unique to the region and similar in style to Seattle's Fox Theatre that Ford would later design. A large enclosed swimming pool would be located on the roof and, according to a rendering published in the August 23, 1928 issue of the Seattle Times, would have closely resembled the grand hall of Seattle's Union Station. With the club finally reaching its membership quota, their impounded funds were made available for use and an October 1928 date was proposed for construction to begin. In late September 1928, plans had changed again and club officials brought in Kenneth McCleod, manager of the Olympic Club in San Francisco, to consult with architect Ford to re-design the building in a way that would make optimal use of the lot. After an inspection of the site, Ford & McLeod left for an extended trip across the country to inspect and tour other metropolitan athletic clubs and gather ideas for the new design. New plans and construction Sherwood Ford's findings resulted in a new set of plans for a structure priced at $2.3 million. The new design was of an imposing 21-story art deco skyscraper with a central tower. It would be constructed of reinforced concrete and steel while the exterior consisted of brick and decorative terracotta tile and would be completely fireproof. Ford announced in a board meeting that the clubhouse "will be the very last word in structures of this kind and will rank among the best found anywhere." Additional financing was secured and Comer announced that construction would finally begin for sure by the end of 1929. The site at Sixth and Union, previously leased by the club from A.M. Goldstein and Dorn & Derneden, was officially purchased on October 30 and razing of the buildings on the site began 30 days later. While the Stock Market Crashed in October 1929, Seattle wouldn't immediately feel the effects and construction went ahead. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday, December 16, 1929 at noon when a steam shovel driven by Reginald H. Parsons, chairman of the board of governors for the club, overturned the first load of dirt. City officials as well