March 17, 2025

Reno finally begins for Triangle Hotel, possibly to reopen this fall

Photo by Brian Miller [enlarge]

The construction permit came earlier this month for the over century-old building on the prow of Railroad Way South.

Construction began last week at 553 First Ave. S. on the long-planned renovation of the tiny Triangle Hotel building in south Pioneer Square.

Workers have been steadily putting up scaffolding outside. Inside, the windows are now protected with plywood sheeting. Interior demolition was done last year, after the two longtime apartment dwellers — one per floor — moved out. (The downstairs pub closed during the pandemic.)

The Pioneer Square Preservation District Board approved the comprehensive restoration plan last year. The construction permit came earlier this month for the over century-old building on the prow of Railroad Way South.

Architect BuildingWork prepared the rehabilitation scheme for investor Ray Spencer and a partner. They purchased the diminutive, three-story building eight years ago. That was two years before the nearby Alaskan Way Viaduct was removed. Today, the associated waterfront rebuild is nearly complete.

“We bought this building in 2017,” said Spencer last week. “We hoped to be done in 2019 or 2020.” But then came the pandemic, the permit process and a much more protracted timeline.

Today, however, “Everybody's on board. We've got our tenants. We're going. We are acting as our own general contractor.” That means working with a variety of proven sub-contractors he's cultivated over his many year as a broker, investor and boutique developer.

The goal is to first complete the bar and restaurant space, with a basement kitchen and dumbwaiter, in six months. (That could potentially open during football season.) An experienced local restaurateur, to be named later, has signed a letter of intent, says Spencer. The short schedule befits a very small job, spanning less than 3,000 square feet for the entire building.

“Our goal is to get the bar and kitchen done as soon as we can,” he adds. The two high-end hotel suites would then presumably open early in the new year. Also in 2026, Lumen Field — but a block away — will host some World Cup soccer games. Spencer expects to use a local hospitality provider to operate the tiny boutique hotel.

He continues, “We've applied for [historic] tax credits,” which entailed meeting with federal representatives last week. The building, designed by architect C. Alfred Breitung, is on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to being in the Pioneer Square Preservation District, it was landmarked by the city in 1977. Its construction date is generally thought to be 1910. The Triangle Hotel originally had four small rooms on each of its upper floors.

“This is a unique property,” says Spencer. “Doing it right is our highest priority. We're not motivated by making every last penny. We expect to own it for years.”

His team also includes Coughlin Porter Lundeen, structural engineer. Work will include a full restoration of the facades and windows; a new roof, roof deck and stairway enclosure; renovating the two apartments into hotel suites (with about 550 square feet each); drying out the functional basement, to become a kitchen; and mostly minor alterations to the commercial space at grade.

The latter was home to the Triangle Pub from 1987-2020. Before that, it was home to Lou's Tavern, the Triangle Bar and other watering holes. Between 1929 and 1954, that space was an office for Western Union Telegraph. (The viaduct opened next door in 1953.)

The upper floors were, after the early hotel years, offices for architects Les Tonkin and Walt Greissinger, who owned the building for about four decades. Those then became apartments.