[CrazyAboutCities]

^^ Looking nice. Need some greenery.

SAF is giving architects some 'Hope'

For the past 12 years, the Seattle Architecture Foundation has showcased project models that reflect the work of Puget Sound region architects. It's having another show this year, but with a twist.

This is a 39-story condo tower planned for 1921 Second Ave, designed by Weber Thompson. It is one of two high-rises near Pike Place Market that the developer has put on hold.

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^^ I like it better than original rendering. I also love the fact that they will save this beautiful building and will build on it instead demolish it.

 

[bennyboo]

seattle seems to be coming back to life

 

[WESTSEATTLEGUY]

Wow that looks great! Seems like we've been seeing some more action in project proposals lately.

 

[Seasun]

The SDOT King Street team is doing a great job posting pics of the demolition. A rare view inside a construction project in near real-time. The latest slide show shows the old escalators being removed.
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/kingstreet.htm
(I recommend clicking the "menu" button and then full screen - relatively high resolution images!)

 

[CrazyAboutCities]

^^ Agreed. I thought they did great job too. Thanks for the link with tons of awesome pictures.

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Joshua Green Building may be full soon

The Marguerite Casey Foundation is leasing a full floor of office space in the renovated building and a restaurant is expected to lease the ground-floor.

The refurbished Joshua Green Building in downtown Seattle landed another office tenant, and a restaurant is leasing the ground-floor retail space, according to people working on the deals.

The Marguerite Casey Foundation is leasing a full floor of office space, or just over 8,000 square feet, according to Greg Inglin of Pacific Real Estate Partners. He represented the not-for-profit in negotiations with the landlord, Joshua Green Corp.

http://www.djc.com/news/re/12019305.html

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Restaurant would be nice additional to this area but I was hoping to see some national retailer to move in too. Now I am curious what kind of restaurant it will be.

 

[CrazyAboutCities]

Selig revamps plans for site near park

The developer now wants to build a seven-story, glass office tower rather a 14-story residential building next to the Olympic Sculpture Park.

The tower that developer Martin Selig wants to build next to Seattle's Olympic Sculpture Park will be a seven-story, glass office tower rather a 14-story residential building.

Architect Erik Mott said the new design has ‘cleaner lines and a quieter composition.

http://www.djc.com/news/re/12019348.html

 

[Seasun]

I think I'd like this better than the residential project that was proposed. Residential could be OK or even good but to detail all those decks, railings, step backs really well would be very expensive. Plus I think looking at the variety of crap people have on decks or in their units (even expensive units) would be annoying compared to a less distracting slab o' curtainwall.

I think the current round building is a great complement to the OSP so I'll miss looking at it.

 

[Capitol Hill]

I think I'd like this better than the residential project that was proposed. Residential could be OK or even good but to detail all those decks, railings, step backs really well would be very expensive. Plus I think looking at the variety of crap people have on decks or in their units (even expensive units) would be annoying compared to a less distracting slab o' curtainwall.

I think the current round building is a great complement to the OSP so I'll miss looking at it.

When you consider how many thousands (million +?) sq. ft. of vacant office space there is in Seattle, I can imagine there will be another iteration of this project before construction begins.

 

[Seasun]

This afternoon I checked out the main waiting room at King Street Station and all the crappy acoustical tiles are gone! The grid is still there but WOW what a ceiling that has been revealed over the past couple days or nights! Definitely worth checking out if you're anywhere near the place.

 

[Ginkgo]

Ceiling exposed!

This afternoon I checked out the main waiting room at King Street Station and all the crappy acoustical tiles are gone! The grid is still there but WOW what a ceiling that has been revealed over the past couple days or nights! Definitely worth checking out if you're anywhere near the place.

Even with the grid, the garish lighting and the soot and dust on the ceiling, it still shines through. Just think how it will look when fully cleaned and rehabbed.

 

[CrazyAboutCities]

^^ WOW!!! I had no idea it is that beautiful!!! What the hell were these people who installed ugly grid ceiling in the first place thinking!?!?!? I'm glad they're removing the ugly grid ceiling.

I just noticed that Insignia Living site signs were covered. Just little over a week ago, one of these Insignia Living people told me that they would start construction in Fall 2011. Now I am confused...

 

[alexjonlin]

I just went to check it out today and couldn't stop smiling because the restoration of King Street Station just makes me happy. Even with those rope things hanging from the ceiling it's still beautiful. And they're making great progress, it looks like, on the restoration of the staircase outside, having already exposed the whole staircase and taken away the adjacent escalators. We are going to have a wonderful station sometime really soon!

 

[jessejb]

I just went to check it out today and couldn't stop smiling because the restoration of King Street Station just makes me happy. Even with those rope things hanging from the ceiling it's still beautiful. And they're making great progress, it looks like, on the restoration of the staircase outside, having already exposed the whole staircase and taken away the adjacent escalators. We are going to have a wonderful station sometime really soon!

It is a truly beautiful example of Seattle pre-Goretex design.

 

[Ginkgo]

We are going to have a wonderful station sometime really soon!

Actually, due to railroad history in this city, we'll have two gems, side by side, both going on their second century (Union Station is 99). True, the latter will never be a transportation station again, but it's still extant and magnificently restored. Two stations, shockingly different architectural styles, two masterpieces.

 

[Doomgoggles]

Video: http://vimeo.com/12827775

Cool video. What's with the cop car lurking in the alley, though? lol...

Anyway: I don't think it's height is THAT much of a problem. It is situated a little further out than say, Olive 8, and it doesn't blend too badly.

 

[CrazyAboutCities]

Cool video. What's with the cop car lurking in the alley, though? lol...

Anyway: I don't think it's height is THAT much of a problem. It is situated a little further out than say, Olive 8, and it doesn't blend too badly.

The police station is right behind of proposed tower.

 

[InlandEmpire]

Cool video. What's with the cop car lurking in the alley, though? lol...

Anyway: I don't think it's height is THAT much of a problem. It is situated a little further out than say, Olive 8, and it doesn't blend too badly.

I should hope the height isn't an issue....this tower is not even planned to be as tall as the tallest residential towers in Bellevue. If we ever want the short stubbiness of SLU to die out in favor of Vancouver-esque tall/skinny towers, this has to work out. Otherwise, we might as well be Portland and work on another faux warehouse Pearl District instead. It is funny to me that people think tall towers block 'views' (totally not saying you agree Doomgoggles, just in general)....try standing next to one of the Amazon campus block x block wide monsters and see if there is any view. It's a fallacy. If they'd allow increased height of buildings in exchange for expanded street level landscaping strips/parks/benches/transit stations so that developers could get the square footage they need to make projects work as well as provide public spaces it would be a win-win. Not sure why that is so hard for city planners to get.

 

[alexjonlin]

Lol yeah I like how the people in Queen Anne and Capitol Hill say that towers in SLU would block their views of the skyline. They would become part of the skyline! And, with relatively low maximum FARs for SLU they could make sure that they are skinny enough to preserve views for everyone.
I was just talking to a Metro planner today who I think only half-jokingly suggested that they should build a 40-story building as part of future TOD on the Northgate Transit Center parking lot site. I personally think Northgate would be an awesome place for an edge city in the next couple decades, what do you guys think? When I'm an old rich developer, I'm gonna buy Northgate Mall, knock it down, and replace it with a walkable skyscraper district. Or at least that's my plan.

 

[CrazyAboutCities]

^^ I like your idea but good luck with that. There is a lot of NIMBYs in Northgate. They even fought against Northgate Mall's old plan to add a second level shopping a while ago!

 

[InlandEmpire]

Northgate would be a cool high rise district, but it seems like an even better area to expand on is the U-dist. Already a few high rises, great density, Link station coming soon....seems like a good start to another great skyline in the area.