October 31, 2014

Landmarks board meets next week on Broadacres Building nomination

Photo by Jon Silver [enlarge]

The Second Avenue site is zoned for construction up to 240 feet for office, and up to 400 feet for residential.

On Nov. 5, the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board will consider the nomination of the Broadacres Building at 1601 Second Ave. — once home to Nordstrom Rack — as a city landmark.

The meeting is at 3:30 p.m. at Seattle Municipal Tower in room 4060.

A filing with the city shows that in 2012, an entity of Principal Global Investors, which owns the Broadacres Building and an adjacent property at 1613 Second Ave., proposed putting a 440-foot tower with a hotel and housing at 1613 Second. The tower was designed to cantilever over the 10-story Broadacres Building.

Earlier this year, developer Wood Partners approached the city with a proposal for a 400-foot residential tower at 1613 Second, with an option for it to cantilever over the Broadacres Building.

The Broadacres Building was designed by Augustus Warren Gould, an important Seattle architect in the early decades of the 20th century, according to the nomination application prepared by NK Architects for the owner.

The Principal Global entity is asking the city to consider whether the building is a landmark.

The application said the Broadacres Building was built by Ferro Concrete Construction Co. in 1907-08 as a furniture store and warehouse, and was one of the earliest reinforced concrete structures in the city.

It underwent substantial alterations in 1936-37 and 1956-61.

Upper floors today are office space. The first floor, mezzanine and basement are retail space, although they are now vacant.

If the board nominates a building as a city landmark, any alterations or significant changes must be approved by the board. Landmark buildings may only be demolished if the owner can demonstrate it does not have a reasonable economic use.

In August, the board denied the landmark nomination of the Ames Building, which is on the 1613 Second Ave. site. That building was constructed in 1914.

The Broadacres Building site is zoned for construction up to 240 feet for office, and up to 400 feet for residential under certain circumstances, according to the city's Department of Planning and Development.