Tag Archives: architecture

Design review: 19 new townhomes on 12th Ave E, 111 units on 10th Ave — UPDATE

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Much has been made of the condo revival of 2018 but on Capitol Hill over the past decade, the king of new home ownership has been the townhouse. Wednesday night, a project destined to create 19 more of the homes along 12th Ave E will take what could be its final pass in front of the design review board.

Design review: 506 12th Ave E

The project to turn the land currently home to the six-unit Lance Apartments at 506 12th Ave E has been in motion since developer Isola Homes bought the land in 2016 for $3.5 million. Ownership has passed across a couple Isola-related LLCs over the years including a transaction in the King County records that shows one Isola-related LLC buying the property from another for $5.3 million in July 2018. Seems like a good deal. The project is now set up for development company Mirra Homes to create four, three-story townhomes featuring a total of 19 units and parking for 19 vehicles. Continue reading →

Street Critic | Brutally lovely on Capitol Hill

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The Dome and (back of) the Bema on 16th Avenue at Temple De Hirsch Sinai

I have always been uncomfortable with the architectural term brutalitist. Part of the rub is, I suppose, that the name is a perversion of Le Corbusier’s most treasured design element, béton brut; or, rough or raw concrete. The story goes that Corb was dissatisfied with the stewardship of some of his early, pristine, white buildings. Owners did not provide the level of upkeep required and the buildings showed their age more than Le Corbuiser (Corb) found acceptable. In a seeming about-face, he decided no longer to incorporate smooth and precise materials in his work but rather use them in a less finished, natural state. Concrete was an obvious choice. It required little upkeep -not even painting. His decision to raise what had hitherto been primarily a structural element to an architectural has been tremendously influential on generations of architects, particularity from the mid-1950’s through the early 1980’s. But alas, brut became brutal – and as one may suspect, brutalist. Continue reading →

Street Critic | What’s your Capitol Hill sign’s story?

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An acute lack of imagination is displayed when a building owner arrives at no more interesting a building name than its street address. When there are so many possibilities for story telling – including a neighborhood’s history, its geography, or its cultural landscape – why should a building settle for “The 1620 12th Avenue Building” when it can proclaim itself as “12 Ave Arts” and add a rich narrative to a neighborhood? Business do have names and frequently a good story to share, but it often remains untold because its branding – its sign – fails to weave a narrative into its design. Both buildings and businesses, through their signs, have the ability to inform their neighbors by providing signs with a story or message that entertains, educates, and enriches. Continue reading →

Designed on the Hill | Chophouse Row

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Designed on the Hill is a new series reflecting on good design, as observed by Greg Janky and Treasure Hinds of Anvil Studios, a product design firm based on Capitol Hill.

Chophouse Row is a great example of inspired architecture designed on the Hill.

The mixed-use office and retail space is an oasis tucked away in the midst of urban commotion. Its modern aesthetic fits naturally on 11th Ave between Pike and Union, yet manages to stands out amongst an eclectic collection of old Seattle brick and new Seattle lofts. Continue reading →

Street Critic | Tight squeezes

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(Images: John M Feit)

(Images: John M Feit)

One of the great joys of urban exploration is the variety of scales one encounters in the built environment. While that range on Capitol Hill is generally restricted to small to medium building types, even such a limited offering provides some startling juxtapositions. As a bit of an architectural taxonomist, I notice several potential causes for these juxtapositions: those resulting from a change in zoning, those built on very small parcels of land, and  those that are simply the result of finding a good deal on rent.

Possible zoning changes are exhibited in two neighboring buildings on 18th Ave E, north of E John. For the uninitiated, zoning prescribes not only how big and what uses a building may have, but also dictates how far it needs to be set back from the street and neighboring properties. In the examples below, there may either have been no zoning when the apartments were built next to the single family homes; or, the zoning may have changed to allow such a proximate mix in uses. The closeness of the buildings to one another certainly would not be allowed under today’s building and zoning codes, at least not without significant changes to their designs. The tight fit between the buildings provides a finer weft of the built history of our neighborhood because they are nearly contemporaneous, and do not contrast in appearance as buildings whose construction is separated by many decades. Continue reading →

Light touch of Capitol Hill school’s chapel recognized for architectural excellence

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(Images: Seattle Prep)

(Images: Seattle Prep)

Seattle Prep wasn’t looking to win international recognition for its new chapel, it just sort of happened.

“We just wanted the space to be very simple and modest and open, said Ben Mawhinney, director of communications for the school. The idea, he said was to have something that reflected the simplicity of Jesuit values, but something that also worked within the style of the campus and the Pacific Northwest.

The 11th Ave E school’s recently completed Our Lady of Montserrat Chapel is being praised as one of the best new religious structures in the country.

The 1,600 square-foot chapel is named for a statue of the Virgin Mary which figured in a pivotal moment in the life of Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. It was designed by Hennebery Eddy Architects of Portland. The chapel doesn’t feature a lot of religious symbology and isn’t as ornate as some Catholic places of worship can be.

“It’s very quiet, without a lot of visual stimulation,” Mawhinney said. Continue reading →

CHS Street Critic | 19th Avenue: Back to the Future

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CHS Street Critic is a new semi-regular column focused on street level architecture and design from a longtime CHS contributor.

19th Ave is Capitol Hill’s most eastern shopping street. Its buildings house an eclectic mix of independent businesses ranging from professional services, health care, education, restaurants, to a martial arts studio, intermixed with single and multifamily housing. Part of 19th’s vibrancy and commercial health lies in the daily contribution made by one of the two private school’s that are proximate to it, adding some 1,400 students. A mix of children and teenagers (who either walk, drive, or are dropped off), faculty and staff swell the activity at the intersection of Aloha and 19th, the neighborhood’s busiest. Despite the twice daily ritual of pick-up and drop-off, the intervening hours have a leisurely aspect to them, and are mostly the domain of locals. All of these qualities of 19th Ave serve as a model, I believe, in how a diversity of uses and housing options in a predominately single family neighborhood add richness to the residents’ lives.

The most concentrated mix of uses and housing types are found in the middle of the stretch between Madison and Galer. At 19th and Republican, El Cuento Spanish Immersion School and The Country Doctor Community Clinic face each other in quiet repose. El Cuento is one of several educational establishments along 19th and is tucked into the ground floor of an apartment building of early 20th Century Vintage.

The Country Doctor has been on the Hill since 1971 and provides a full range of primary care medical services for folks of all ages, cultures, and incomes. The clinic occupies several buildings that share some of the architectural elements of El Cuento (bay windows and ground floor  storefront the most obvious). Part of County Doctor is actually two joined buildings —  a single story and two story structure. The taller of the pair is a rare commercial structure whose size as more a response to fulfilling immediate needs rather than investment prerogatives. Its abundant glazing relative to its small stature gives it a proud presence on the street.  Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Station’s next stop: Transportation Choices shows sneak peek of UW Station

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More teaser pics from UW Station and an update on the transportation happenings in Olympia here from Transportation Choice

More teaser pics from UW Station and an update on the transportation happenings in Olympia here from Transportation Choices

Last Tuesday, we told you the Big Red Wall around the future Capitol Hill Station was beginning to come down in preparation for U-Link’s expected 8% under budget, six or so months early depending on who’s counting, early 2016 (March?) start of light rail service between downtown and the University of Washington via Capitol Hill.

Pfew! That’s exciting!

So, how about a look at the other end of the equation! Here’s a peek inside your northern light rail destination adjacent Husky Stadium, courtesy Transportation Choices:

TCC got an inside look at both stations today, and here are some pictures of the highlights of the gorgeous UW Station (Capitol Hill station pictures are embargoed but we assure you, it looks great!).

We’re only a little envious of you, TCC, and your embargoed pics of the Broadway light rail station. At least we know what Capitol Hill Station art will look like integrating works by Capitol Hill artist Ellen Forney and a massive “Jet Kiss” sculpture by artist Mike Ross. And, of course, we did get to do this:

CHS Schemata | Meany’s understated elegance

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe parlance of architecture is filled with jargon, especially about Modernism and its consequent ‘isms’; less is more, less is a bore. Being firmly rooted in the former, I have been captivated by Meany Middle School’s understated elegance since I arrived on the Hill some 13 years ago. For me, its simple forms and restrained detailing (less is more) speak volumes to many of modernism’s most successful pursuits: economy of form, subtractive design, and the harnessing of daylight — a great benefit during the Hill’s rather gloomy winter months. As fortune (and a little planning) would have, the day I explored Meany was a sunny winter day whose resulting deep shadows proved well suited to best show off Meany’s qualities.

Meany’s most eye-catching feature is its saw-tooth roof. Such roofs originated in factory or assembly buildings in the latter half of the 19th century and persisted well into the early 20th. One we have lost –- such as on the re-developed Sunset Electric -– was a fine example of this typology. The advent of inexpensive gas or electric light spelled the demise of such welcome features, until they were resurrected by modernists who were not only captivated by their ability to foster better day-lighting but were also doubtlessly a fan of their rigorous, platonic forms. Meany’s roof readily displays those qualities, while adding its own take; for instance, the clear delineation of the concrete frame and infill as well as the continuous sunshade that provide a clean break from the saw-tooth form and the lower mass of the building, emphasizing the saw-tooth mass even more. Although not requisite in achieving elegance, the repeating of the saw-tooth nine times amplifies its desirable traits.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Continue reading →

CHS Schemata | Bellevue, Bellevue, and Bellevue — Part 2

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(Images: John Feit/Schemata Workshop)

(Images: John Feit/Schemata Workshop)

The first tour of the northwest corner of Capitol Hill focused on the distant and rich landscape views that the area proximate to Bellevue, Bellevue, and Bellevue provides. In Part 2, the focus will be on this area’s more intimate landscapes which are shaped by both its geography and culture.

The Ben Lomond is an appropriate starting point; its oblique position on the street grid is the result of its being on the edge a steep hill. It is not often that buildings on Capitol Hill deviate from the incessant and dominant street grid. Here, there is a relatively slight skew of the Ben Lomond to Belmont, lending greater prominence to the building and landscape than they would otherwise have. The gently angled Lomond provides a mini piazza of sorts, reminding one of pre-industrial cities and their more organic roots. Instead of asphalt and concrete one could imagine a landscape paved in stone and low landscaped walls affording a quiet place within which to enjoy a sunny day. Continue reading →