January 11, 2016

Third Avenue building eyed for rehab — and 8-story addition

Photo by Benjamin Minnick [enlarge]

The 1928 structure houses Belltown Self Storage. The renovation plan calls for turning it into 44 housing units, 112 hotel rooms and 3,680 square feet of retail.

A group is proposing to add eight stories to the 1928 terra cotta clad building at 1915 Third Ave. that houses Belltown Self Storage, near Seattle's retail core.

An early design guidance meeting is tentatively set for Feb. 16 on the proposal, which also calls for renovating the six-story structure.

When complete, there would be 44 residential units, 112 lodging units, and 3,680 square feet of ground floor commercial space, according to information filed with the city.

The meeting is slated for 7 p.m. at Seattle City Hall, 600 Fifth Ave., Room L280.

Lorin Christean of Downtown Mini Warehouse LLC is listed as the owner and Poppi Handy of Third Place Design Co-operative is the applicant. Shimon Mizrahi with Seattle-based Ariel Development is also listed in connection with the project.

The LLC includes Patrick Reilly, president/CEO of Urban Self Storage, whose locations include Belltown Self Storage. Christean is founder and chairman of the firm.

Reilly and Mizrahi declined comment.

This is not the only plan to add extra floors to an older building in Seattle. Beacon Capital Partners of Boston wants to put two floors of office space and six floors of apartments on the Maritime Building at 911 Western Ave. Last week the Seattle landmarks board voted to designate the building as a city landmark.

Martin Selig Real Estate wants to add 32 levels of office space and 12 levels of housing above the former Federal Reserve Building, a four-story structure at 1015 Second Ave. that opened in 1950 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sarah Sodt, Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board coordinator, said the Belltown Self Storage building is not a city landmark. But a survey done in 2006-7 of all downtown properties noted it should be reviewed for potential landmark status if redevelopment was proposed.

Sodt said a city landmark cannot be significantly altered without approval from the landmarks board, but a landmark designation does not preclude adding to a building.

The Belltown Self Storage building is also known as White Garage. It appears to have been constructed for William E. Grimshaw and was designed by Henry Bittman, a prolific architect during this era, according to the city survey. Among his firm's notable Seattle projects are the Decatur Building (1921), Terminal Sales Building (1923), Olympic Tower (c. 1929) and Eagles Auditorium (1924-25).

According to the survey, economic prosperity in the 1920s led to the development in Seattle of major commercial and hotel buildings and banks and retail stores designed by leading local architects. By the mid-1920s, large parking garages were a lucrative and essential part of downtown commerce.

The Bon Marche department store bought the White Garage in 1951 for a “Budget House” annex to its store. The interior was remodeled and the automobile entry was enclosed. In 1954, the building was sold, and remodeled again in 1969. It has been storage for decades.

According to its website, Ariel Development has developed and owns over $400 million in assets with local partners and investors. Its properties include hotels, office and commercial buildings and retail centers.

Among the hotel projects listed on the website are Marriott Courtyard Seattle Downtown/Pioneer Square, Silver Cloud Hotel Broadway and Hyatt Place Hotel & Towers.

Ariel is among a number of prominent developers who have tried to redevelop the rundown but historic 7-story Eitel Building at Second and Pike in Seattle. According to news reports, Ariel in 2012 signed a contract to buy it and create a boutique hotel, but walked away after determining that was not feasible.

Lake Union Partners now plans to turn the Eitel Building into a hotel.