May 16, 2017

Queen Anne building sold; 30 units planned

Photo by Colliers [enlarge]

BuildingWork’s design would add a penthouse to the landmarked structure.

Seattle Public Library has sold the former telegraph and telephone exchange building it owned at 1529 Fourth Ave. W. for $2.5 million, according to King County records.

The buyer was Garfield 1529 LLC, which shares a mailing address with project manager Chris Faul, formerly a partner with Point32. Faul now runs his own company, called Faul.

Seattle Public Library was represented in the sale by Arvin Vander Veen and Casey Gibson of Colliers.

Faul has filed early plans with the city, prepared by architect BuildingWork, to convert the old Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Garfield Exchange into 30 residential units. Whether they would be apartments or condominiums is unknown.

In public records, Faul is listed as the manager of the ownership LLC. Queries to Faul were not returned before deadline.

The library had been using the Garfield Exchange for storage. The three-story, 23,040-square-foot structure was built in 1922, with an addition in 1929. The 12,000-square-foot property is at the corner of West Garfield Street, opposite the Queen Anne branch library.

Pacific Northwest Bell, the successor to PT&T, vacated the exchange in 1967, after it sat empty for a half-dozen years. The property was then donated to the library.

Last year, the library had BOLA Architecture + Planning prepare a landmark application for the Garfield Exchange. The Landmarks Preservation Board designated it a landmark, and the building went on the market as surplus property.

BuildingWork's plan calls for adding a 3,355-square-foot penthouse to the structure. A new stair and elevator core would be located within the U-shaped light well on the rear of the building.

Parking is planned for 13 vehicles in the 5,280-square-foot basement, accessed from the alley.

Total project size, including the parking and penthouse, is estimated at about 34,000 square feet.