The buildings occupy the entire west side of the 1000 block of 1st Avenue between Madison and Spring streets.

The three buildings were constructed from late 1900 to 1901 for Syracuse-based investors Clifford Beebe and William Nottingham by the Clise Investment Company, headed by businessman James Clise (1855–1938), as a result of the Alaska Gold Rush which fueled the construction of many such buildings in downtown Seattle.

In 1983, the buildings were collectively listed as Seattle City Landmarks under the title "First Avenue Groups/Waterfront Center".

[citation needed] Prior to the Great Seattle fire in 1889, the 1000 block of 1st Avenue, like most property on the west side of that street at the time, was mostly water, with several small buildings built on pilings.

In 1884, the most substantial structure on the site was a two-story wood frame building on the Northwest corner of 1st and Madison with an adjoining warehouse.

Of note at the time was the existence of an inclined plane that ran up the north side of Madison Street to 1st.

The city soon became a major supply point for prospectors on their way to the gold fields which resulted in a large building boom.

The 6-story Hotel Cecil and 4-story Beebe Buildings were both built by the Clise Investment Co. for Syracuse, New York resident and capitalist Clifford D. Beebe, a member of the executive committee of the Seattle Lighting Company and a stockholder in several of Clise's interests.

As the New Arlington Hotel, it catered to businessmen as well as transients and offered telephones and hot and cold running water in each of its 200 rooms, a luxury by the day's standards.