Bed lame
Not long after the new Four Seasons Hotel and Condominium project opened across from SAM on First, Charles Mudede of The Stranger gushed effusively about its cutting edge architecture. That it may have, but its presence on the street level? No so much.
Given the stacks of liens and claims of unpaid contractors filed against the building, as reported in the Seattle Times, it might seem a bit like beating a dead horse to pile on the criticism. But this is one high-priced thoroughbred that does not deserve to take home the “Show” category — at least from an urban design perspective.
With the room prices commanded within the hotel, coupled with the almost usurious prices of the dwellings above it, we should have been given a lot more in the way of public benefit on the ground. OK, there is a grand staircase leading down to Western. And there is a piece of public space overlooking the Bay at the end of Union.
And I suppose with the presence of Fonte at the south end and Fran’s at the corner, there are some things of merit. (Hey, who can complain about a chocolate shop?)
But look a little closer and you find some offensively penurious attitudes, particularly when it comes to the public realm. The staircase is pitched like a big angled beam holding up a staircase. But there is little finesse to the thing – just a massive concrete blade supporting a relentless stair. The little pulpits are sort of nice, but there is nothing to perch on to enjoy the views.
Likewise, the tiny scrap of a belvedere at the upper street level is pretty miserly. OK, you can sit on the cold concrete, backless seating, but who would want to? At least for very long. The moving watercourse is a nice gesture (and undoubtedly expensive) but how about spending a little money on comfortable seating, huh? And perhaps a few plants while you’re at it. I could be wrong, but it almost seems as if the hotel folks really didn’t want to encourage anyone to linger. Just sayin.’
The end of Union Street essentially has become a drop-off for the hotel, with vehicles often choking up the space as valets rush about. This space — although likely intended as some sort of plaza-like area — is really problematic. The three planters that were plunked down onto the Union Street sidewalk hardly make up for the austerity of the street. Adding insult to injury, they even intrude into the sidewalk.
People on foot have to enter the hotel through what is essentially a suburban-style porte cochere, squeezing past cars and stacks of luggage. Just about every other major hotel in town offers an entrance for pedestrians directly from the sidewalk. Even the old Sheraton, with all its other numerous urban design sins, atones for them — at least partially — by a grand entrance on the corner.
But not the Four Seasons. What appears to be a recess leading to a walk-in entrance is simply a stark, concrete wall with a window well above the sidewalk — “taunting distance” away. In fact, this stretch of blank wall is truly inexcusable along a major downtown street, given the lively façade of the art museum across the street and every other neighboring building that has provided windows. As it stands, the high concrete walls, with the only detail being recessed holes at the corners, seem not unlike what encloses a major offender prison. Perhaps a little unintentional irony is evident?
Never mind the shifting planes and deftly detailed metalwork of the tower above, this class of hotel should have been spectacular at the street level. With the exception of the coffee, wine and chocolates, the effect is more Lowes than Luxe.
Tags: Four Seasons
