March 30, 2021

Smith Tower apartment for rent

Photo by Tim Van Asselt [enlarge] [gallery]

Graham Baba Architects and Valor Builds were on the team for the recent renovation of the apartment.

A penthouse apartment at the top of the historic Smith Tower at 506 Second Ave. in downtown Seattle is available for rent for the first time in over 20 years.

Moira Holley, co-founder/senior global real estate advisor of Realogics Sotheby's International Realty, is listing the two-story apartment, which is tucked into the pyramid-shaped peak of the 1914 tower.

The rent is $17,000 per month.

According to leasing materials, it is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to secure a long-term lease in the only private residence atop Smith Tower, which is owned and managed by Seattle-based Unico Properties.

Unico renovated the 2,128-square-foot apartment in 2020, with Graham Baba Architects and Valor Builds on the team. It has one bedroom, a guest space and two ¾-baths on the 37th floor and an open living room, kitchen and dining on the 38th floor.

The iconic glass globe at the tower's peak is accessible via a spiral staircase. Twenty-four teardrop windows offer 360 degree views of Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains, the Cascades, Mount Rainier and the city, according to the leasing materials.

In the bedroom suite, a central core of oak casework houses closet space and an upgraded bathroom, including a water closet with frosted glass doors, an oak vanity and a walk-in shower. Window seats, set within window openings, were upgraded and fitted with access to additional storage and mechanical systems.

On the pyramidal second floor, the team replaced the entire kitchen with two low counters that include undercounter refrigerator and freezer drawers, upgraded appliances and bar seating for social gathering. A custom designed and fabricated luminary by Electric Coffin is suspended in the center of the space.

The apartment's material palette includes stained oak wall panels, blackened steel guardrails and gray quartz counters and tile.

Flooring is stained engineered oak planks, with a moat of polished black pebbles filling in the irregular space between the new floor and the undulating perimeter of the existing structure.

All new design elements — including wall panels, shower glass and railings — are modular for ease of installation. Exposed exterior concrete walls and ceilings were painted white to reflect light. LED strip lighting along the perimeter of the space provides soft light along the canted walls.

The 462-foot Smith Tower was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi upon its completion. The building now houses offices and commercial spaces topped by an observation deck on the 35th floor, and above that the penthouse apartment.

Unico said the former resident of the apartment elected not to renew her lease and moved out in early 2019 after 20 years renting there.

The listing is at http://www.moirapresents.com. People must contact Holley to be prequalified for a tour.