July 10, 2017

Create World cues up The Emerald, and 1914 building is coming down

Images by Hewitt [enlarge]

Outdoor and indoor amenity spaces are planned on the top floor.

[enlarge]

The 40-story Emerald will have 265 condos.

[enlarge]

The podium will house two levels of shops.

Photo by Benjamin Minnick [enlarge]

The Ames/MJA Building has been at Second and Stewart for over 100 years.

As Pike Place Market celebrates its new addition and connections to the waterfront, work will start soon on another new building one block to the east.

This month, Create World will demolish the 1914 Ames/MJA Building at Second Avenue and Stewart Street to make way for a 40-story tower called The Emerald.

The two-story MJA, and the 10-story Broadacres Building next door were not designated city landmarks in 2014. Broadacres is staying and some floors in The Emerald will cantilever over it. Create World owns the air rights.

Broadacres once was the home of Nordstrom Rack, and MJA housed Caffe D'arte and other small businesses.

Demolition of the MJA Building will be handled by Andersen Construction and ASI Structures.

Hewitt designed the new tower, which will have 38 stories of condos above a two-story podium. About 4,600 square feet of retail will be on the ground level and mezzanine level. Parking will be on five below-grade levels.

Hewitt says there will be 265 condos, with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, plus some urban two-bedrooms.

The single-bedroom units will range from 540 to 900 square feet; two-bedrooms will be 860 to 1,500 square feet; three-bedrooms will be 1,380 to 1,700 square feet; and urban two-bedrooms will go from 830 to 1,000 square feet.

Create World CEO Lili Lu said last year that up to 40 percent of the units could be sold to Chinese nationals.

Construction is expected to be finished in March 2020.

Hewitt is also the landscape architect. Other designers are: KPFF Consulting Engineers, civil and structural engineering; Rushing, MEP engineering; and Susan Marinello Interiors, interior design.