Not all the development near Capitol Hill’s coming light rail station will be new construction. Capitol Hill Housing (CHH) has begun renovating the Holiday Apartments located on 10th Ave. E. and E. John St. Built in 1958, the Holiday has not been updated to meet current housing standards. Kate Stineback, CHH Housing and Community Developer, says that the building lacks up-to-date weatherization and energy conservation components.
The Holiday Apts.
It’s been so uncomfortable for residents,” says Stineback, “It’s not adequate whatsoever.”
Stineback said that the apartment building was originally a hotel built in preparation for the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962. Since then, she believes very few improvements, if any, have been made to modernize the Holiday.
“It’s a concrete building, literally there’s less than an inch of insulation between the concrete and the dry wall. Heat escapes right away, and moisture comes in quickly.”
Since buying the building April 2008, CHH has been working with SMR Architects and RAFN Construction to make environmentally sustainable improvements to the building that should have been made long ago. In their press release, CHH said that the renovations being made to the apartments will be a “dramatic makeover focusing on environmental sustainability and weatherization.”
This makeover will include installing energy efficient windows, new siding made of metal and hardipanel to improve insulation, renovated and insulated roofing that will allow for better drainage, and new ventilation within the apartments.
Light rail construction across from the Holiday Apts.
During the construction, Stineback says that current residents will not be displaced. “We’re going to make as convenient as possible for tenants,” she says. By coordinating renovation schedules with the tenants and using three temporary units within the Holiday, residents will not have to completely vacate their apartments.
Capitol Hill Housing is a low-income housing provider, so the location of the Holiday Apartments was an important factor in its acquisition. “We purposefully look for sites and projects that are close to transit so that residents don’t necessarily have to have a car,” says Stineback. “That way they have that much more money per month to spend on, say, childcare, instead of car payments or a parking place.”
This makes the Holiday Apartments location prime real estate for CHH, since the building is planted directly across from the future site of the Capitol Hill light rail station, of which Stinebeck says excitedly, “Tenants can literally stumble out of their apartment and have transportation.”
Most of the people CHH serves make 60% of Capitol Hill’s average income, and so the organization is taking the steps to improve the quality of housing their clients receive in a location that simplifies transportation demands. “That it our mission,” says Stineback.
What a great example of why it is so important that voters just renewed the Housing Levy. Funding for affordable housing helps preserve and upgrade existing housing close to transit so that we can keep our neighborhoods diverse around light rail stations. If we don’t preserve older buildings like this, we will end up with nothing but lots of giant monolithic expensive new buildings. It’s okay to have some of those, but I prefer a mix.
I’m sorry, did they have to select such a dreadful cheese-like yellow though?
that’s the color it is now (the old model). they’ve only just started renovating it.
No, that’s the new color they just painted. You can still see the old color in the picture above where they haven’t painted yet.
Why did they just paint it if they are going to put new siding on it?
Hi this is Kate from CHH. I am sorry we couldn’t get a good rendering of the new exterior color with this post. We are working on it.
The permanent color IS NOT GOING TO BE YELLOW! That is a weatherproofing membrane that the contractor installed to make the building water tight before we put on the new insulation and siding (hardy board and metal). The new color will be a deep blue with red accents.
This is Kate again. Thanks for the post and coverage of this exciting project. I just want to clarify something about who we serve. Virtually all of our rental units serve residents making 60% or below area median income (about 34k for one person). We recently conducted a survey of our residents and found that the average income was closer to 17k, which is about 30% of area median for a single person. Our mission is to provide affordable housing and to preserve neighborhood character in Seattle, and the Holiday is a great example of both of these things!
Thanks for the service your organization is providing our community.
We love you!
In all fairness, there in not a better Housing Advocate Group than CCH – simply the best with a track record plated in gold.
Just keep on chugging, the need is great. Affordable housing is the mantra of the day.
Thanks CCH.
Mike with all the naturally curly hair
Nobody does it better. Plus, they completely get it in the most holistic sense about community service. They not only do it, they foster, generate, recognize and support it. Yay CHHIP.
Ahh, that makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up.
Kudo’s to CHH for doing this renovation and keeping the residents in mind. They are working really hard, as I only live a block from this building. Keep up to the great work. :-)