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What the development that will ‘save’ 10th/Union’s Davis Hoffman building will look like

Blue sky still peaks through to E Union over the planned preservation of the Davis Hoffman and Madison Greetings buildings (Images with permission to CHS)

Perhaps the fourth time will be the charm.

After an unsuccessful third visit of 2012 in front of the East Design Review Board last summer, the developers behind the most complicated preservation and development project in Pike/Pine went back to the drawing board — and reached out to neighborhood development advocates the Pike Pine Urban Neighborhood Council — for a new plan.

Early this fall, CHS reported on the compromise reached to keep the 1915-built Davis Hoffman building from being torn down. But, until now, we haven’t been able to show you what the planned preservation to be integrated into the project — now dubbed Broadstone Capitol Hill — will look like. With the project’s fourth — and what the developers from Alliance Realty Partners hope is the last — pass through design review slated for later this month, CHS has been provided with details and images of the new vision for the city block of planned redevelopment that will be part of a total overhaul of the backside of Pike/Pine.


Still slated for a whopping 250 residential units and more than 12,000 square feet of commercial space, the Ankrom Moisan designed project will soar seven stories in the two main portions of the new buildings. Here is a view from across the street on E Union — we’ve also included a picture from present day.

(Image: CHS)

The retention and incorporation of the Davis Hoffman has lead to other components now added to the plan including this “plaza” planned for 10th Ave in front of what the developers hope will be the leasing office for the new project:

Here’s an overview of the interplay between retained structures and the new buildings’ residential and retail components at street level:

And here’s what it will look like from the outside — here, you can see the incorporated Madison Greetings building looking downright restaurant-y:

The look of things from 11th Ave reveals some of the solutions planned to make the northern walls not quite so foreboding and also give you a sense of just how massive the new portions of the project are in relation to what is being preserved.

Like other land deals reported by CHS to start 2013, the story behind the redevelopment at 10th and E Union has sturdy neighborhood roots. Judi Jacobsen started the Madison Park Greetings company in 1977 and she and late husband Conrad acquired the various parcels on their half-block over the years including the purchase of the 1406 10th Ave E building in 1997 for $850,000, according to King County Records. According to those same records, the family continues to own the properties with a combined “appraised land value” of just under $6 million.

The path to creating this project, however, hasn’t been quite so sturdy. CHS reported here on the project’s first appearance in front of the design board as it presented a plan to take advantage of the Pike/Pine preservation incentives by retaining portions of the Madison Greetings building but demolishing the rest of the block. What followed was another attempt at pushing the project through without retaining the Davis Hoffman building. That didn’t work either.


10th & Union Apartments, originally uploaded by Rob Ketcherside.

The new plan will come before the board on January 23rd. Davis Hoffman tenants Capitol Hill Housing, meanwhile, have already moved off the Hill until office space is completed along with the nonprofit developer’s 12th Ave Arts project. Event space Pravda is also in need of a new home with the coming construction.

E Union’s backside to Pike/Pine, meanwhile, is busy with change. Without the overhead of sorting out the neighborhood’s preservation incentives, the project on the other side of 10th and Union — pictured to the right — is moving into its final construction stages. And to the southeast, the corner where Union meets 12th meets Madison is now minus an Undre Arms and ready to host this mixed-use building

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Tom
Tom
11 years ago

This is awesome. Much improved from the previous proposals, as far as I can tell from these images. I’m glad the bulk of the buildings is now set back a bit from the street to give a bit of breathing room and they are incorporating the existing buildings.

Public/private
11 years ago

I agree…this is a huge improvement and looks so much better. Keeping the Davis & Hoffman building really helps maintain a streetscape that is much more interesting.

But who on earth would classify that tiny piece of space in front of the main residential entryway as a public plaza? Come on, developer. That’s ridiculous. Some nice open “community space” in these buildings would be great, but this is nowhere near that. And these buildings aren’t ever going to have “community” access because it’s all private property and they want to be able to shut it down, as necessary.

The Joule on Broadway was supposed to have an open walkway between Broadway and 10th, utilizing those steps between the buildings, but all we ended up with with is a fence and locked gate. The idea had been to create a pedestrian walkway that would help break up the mass of the building, foster a “community” feel on the street, but still allow the buildling to close the gates at night for security. Instead, all we have is a gate and a pretty dead “community plaza”, much bigger than the one depicted for this building.

wave
wave
11 years ago

I was going to comment on the exact same thing — I really like how the main bulk of the buildings is set back. This will make for a really pleasant experience from the sidewalk — so much better than what you see in Belltown and South Lake Union, with the canyon effect of 7 stories going straight up from the sidewalk.

Big ups to the developer for agreeing to save the Davis Hoffman building too! That’s going to be a great project.

ProstSeattle
ProstSeattle
11 years ago

Broadway and Harvard ave. E., 10th is east of the Joule.

Regarding the “public plaza” I’m sure our local homeless population will be happy to populate the space.

Sid Vicious
11 years ago

This is one of the better looking developments on the hill. Looks like the architect and developer have done a good job responding to the neighborhood. Finally.

Michael
11 years ago

Kudos to the development team, architects, and engineers finally figuring out how to make this work. I went to a few of the design reviews and they were originally insisting that it would be impossible to save these structures and develop new ones along with them. I’m not sure what changed but I know that the community did not accept that answer. I think it is fantastic that they have saved the structures and really done a great job of incorporating the new buildings. I’m very happy with the result. Kudos to all who came to the meetings and to the teams who put in the work to make this happen.

Wendle
11 years ago

This is one of the best looking developments on the hill! Hats off to the developer and architect who pulled off an amazing design that included A LOT of the neighborhoods suggestions at the developers own expense to their own building! Also I agree with ProstSeattle comment below about “Public Plaza” – I’m sure our local homeless population will be happy to populate the space!!

Jess Alldredge
11 years ago

Hey,

Just wanted to let you know that we heard from our friends at Pravda (who have been moving out since last week) that they are opening up a new space in Sodo (we know where, but I’m not sure if they want to announce it yet…). As for Grace Church Seattle (I’m the music director there), we have to be out by March 31. So we’re currently looking for new office space in the hood (preferably in the same Pike/Pine area… we’ll see).

Thanks,

Jess

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[…] reported on CHH’s temporary downtown offices after it moved out of its home in the slated-for-development Davis Hoffman building on E Union earlier this year. Eventually, CHH is planned to settle into the commercial space that […]

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[…] structures, is being redeveloped into Broadstone Capitol Hill — a project that includes 250 residential units and more than 12,000 square feet of commercial space. The Ankrom Moisan-designed project will climb seven stories in the two main portions of the new […]

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[…] next year with 89 residential units, new commercial space, and underground parking. Add to that the 250 residential units going up at 10th and Union and the potential redevelopment of the Rancho Bravo […]