Photo by Steve Sanacore Photography A 20-foot-wide water main that runs through the Four Seasons site had to be replaced during the project and incorporated into the new design.

This complex 27-story project includes 36 condominium units and a 147-room hotel with features such as televisions embedded in the bathroom mirrors and fireplaces in many rooms.

The demolition and shoring phase was among the most complicated ever attempted in Seattle. For example, installing the tiebacks in the east wall (holding up First Avenue) required Lease Crutcher Lewis to both shore the floor slabs for the heavy drill rigs and demolish others for access.

Lewis built a 118-foot-long, 53-foot-high freestanding stair with 103 steps that connects upper and lower Union Street. It is held in place by an 8-by-16-foot structural concrete beam with six wide concrete steps attached at the bottom.

Also, a 20-foot-wide water main runs through the building. This had to be replaced during the project and incorporated into the new design, a technique thought to be unique in Seattle. Through value engineering, the Lewis team reduced the budget by $8.5 million while maintaining the design intent.