(Image: Gordon Warner via Twitter)
We began this holiday week with the first in our 2014 in review series — CHS Year in Review 2014 | More than supply and demand — the year in development on Capitol Hill.
It turns out, one of the most ambitious construction projects of 2014 wrapped up just as we completed the post.
Harvard Market shopping center developer Morris Groberman suggested we wait for the ribbon-cutting ceremony when the railings and the lighting are in place but we couldn’t resist. The epic project to convert the perpetually broken Harvard Market escalator into stairs is ready for its soft opening.
Happy New Year!
Here’s what we wrote about the long-due project earlier this year:
Built as an old-school, parking lot-focused shopping center in the mid-90s, the project continues to be home to a mix of national and regional chains and local independents above a giant grocery store. And, for much of that time, the Harvard Market escalator has been unable to perform its duties of delivering shoppers up and down from the corner of Broadway and Pike.
This time, the fix will be permanent. Harvard Market will spend $160,000 changing the escalator to a staircase, according to a permit filed with the city. Groberman said yet another costly repair — $20,000 — and immediate return to broken status for the troubled escalator was the last straw.
“Truly sad, but economically we could not keep it in operation; every time we fixed it, it was destroyed / vandalized,” Groberman told CHS this spring.
Even Groberman, an experience real estate developer used to contractor delays and construction challenges, couldn’t have predicted how long the construction the new stairs would have dragged on. Yes, it would have provided Mitch Hedberg with an alternative punchline for his escalator bit.
But as 2014 winds down, CHS is happy to report that the stairs are open. We’ll be there in 2015 for the big grand opening ceremony.
Wow! And here I thought the thing had been made a National Historic Monument!
I would have never predicted it would take over eight months to build a set of stairs…I think entire apartment buildings nearby have gone up in that time!
What a relief. This will take pressure off set of stairs a few feet away that are always crowded with use. :P
I was surprised to see a wooden railing. Would have thought a more durable choice of material would have been used.
Well, they needed to have something that could be vandalized there!
Ha!
You must be right as it’s not even painted. A blank canvas for graffiti….
There’s a sign saying the stairs are still under construction, but open for the holidays. I assumed the wooden railing was temporary…
It is. Soft opening, guys :)
Well then what a waste of money and resources. If it were the only staircase I could see it as a temporary solution but there are other stairs just a few feet away.
The other stairs are pretty unappealing. I’m assuming the merchants on the second level weren’t happy about the stairs bottleneck continuing through Christmas. In that way, it’s not a waste to put up some temporary or unfinished railing and create a much more welcoming staircase.
That’s true. At least the new stairs are free of urine for now. That must make the merchants happy. I enjoyed my odor-free walk on them.
It’s true, those older stairs are very unappealing. I usually go inside and take the escalator just to avoid them.
Elevator, not escalator.
Harvard Market is *always* going to be a problem in one way or another. The restrooms in QFC are to be avoided unless you really just have to go.
From the outset the escalators have been crapped up. I lived across the street and almost daily when HM first opened some yahoo would push the emergency stop so the escalators would not work.
Then again, those elevators. They had to be re-finished in “swirly” machined steel after being vandalized. I don’t see a fix for the elevators. At least the QFC in Harvard Market is all on one floor not like that stupid set up in Broadway Market.
Seriously? $160,000 for concrete stairs? That’s insane.
It’s not just the construction of the new stairs, but also the demolition/removal of the escalators, which I assume were the majority of the work. Escalators are a lot more than just the part you can see.
Demolition is usually the least expensive part of construction – no matter if it is made up of mechanical and/or electrical works or not. I doubt very much that they were salvaging any part of an escalator that never worked. All they needed to do is rip it out. $160K is completely insane.
Before you shout “ridiculous” show us your familiarity with the actual cost of doing work to remove the escalator. If you’re so smart about it *you* show us that you actually know how much it costs to do what they needed to do to remove the escalators and build new steps to replace the escalator. If you think it’s just getting a u-haul truck and a couple of guys to disassemble and lift it into the back of a truck you are likely very mistaken. An escalator can weigh 9 tons or more you seem to think it’s a simple thing to just pick it up as if it’s no big deal. Even if someone could just “pick it up” all the various connections have to be dealt with as well. If you really do know about this stuff why not give us the skinny on what is required and why you think it’s such a trivial matter. You show us why it’s so “easy” as you seem to think it is.
I happen to do this kind of thing for a living. I’m an engineer and put plans, specifications and cost estimates for construction projects together all the time. And stamp them, because I’m a professional and my license is on the line. It happens to be why I’m in my office today on a Saturday. I’m well aware of the costs that go into it. I’m not really sure what you have at stake for claiming that $165,000 is reasonable.
I didn’t expect to care about this project at all, but then I saw the new stairs last night and they’re so great! I love the lights. The under-edge of each stair is lit, so the whole staircase glows brightly at night. The stairs are much wider and more open and inviting than the old stairs on the other side. Overall the whole corner just feels more connected to the upper level. Big improvement.
cue the mitch hedberg joke “an escalator can never be broken, it can only become stairs”
I am no expert, but $165,000 for the removal of an aged, extremely heavy, greasy escalator (escalator techs are $300 an hour) without the help of a crane or anything of the likes, and then waterproofing the old pit and concrete, then installing custom galvanized steel, stainless steel, and aluminum along with custom lighting, as well as the custom metal railing that will be installed presumably in place of the temp railing. as well as all the permitting involved with a location like this. I think $265,000 seems more reasonable. Lilah, are you sure your not working in the 1980s?