2nd & Pike, also known as the West Edge Tower, is a 440-foot-tall (130 m) residential skyscraper in Seattle, Washington. The 39-story tower, developed by Urban Visions and designed by Tom Kundig of Olson Kundig Architects, has 339 luxury apartments and several ground-level retail spaces. The 8th floor includes a Medical One primary care clinic.[5]

West Edge Tower
Tower under construction in October 2017, as seen from the Russell Investments Center
West Edge Tower is located in Seattle WA Downtown
West Edge Tower
Location within downtown Seattle
Former namesCandela Hotel & Residences
Alternative names2nd & Pike
General information
StatusCompleted
Location1430 2nd Avenue
Seattle, Washington
Coordinates47°36′33.00″N 122°20′19.00″W / 47.6091667°N 122.3386111°W / 47.6091667; -122.3386111
Construction startedJuly 23, 2015 (2015-07-23)[1]
Topped-outAugust 2017
Opened2018
Height440 ft (130 m)
Technical details
Floor count39
Floor area567,403 sq ft (52,713.5 m2)
Grounds19,069 sq ft (1,771.6 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Tom Kundig
Architecture firmOlson Kundig Architects
DeveloperUrban Visions
Structural engineerMagnusson Klemencic Associates
Services engineerMacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions
Other designersAnkrom Moisan Architects
Main contractorSellen Construction
Other information
Number of units339 apartments
Parking244 spaces in underground garage
References
[2][3][4]

The project was also known as the Candela Hotel & Residences from 2007 to 2009 and was planned to include a hotel in addition to luxury condominiums. After Candela was removed from the project, the revised skyscraper proposal was approved in 2011 but would later undergo further changes in 2013. Construction did not begin until July 2015 due to financing issues that were later resolved. The building topped out in August 2017 and was completed in March 2018.[1][6]

History

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The MacDougall & Southwick department store, located at the southeast corner of 2nd Avenue & Pike Street until 1971.

The site, located at the southeast corner of 2nd Avenue and Pike Street in downtown Seattle, was home to the MacDougall & Southwick department store until the store closed in 1966.[7] The five-story building was later demolished in 1971 and replaced with a surface parking lot.[1][8]

Planning for a skyscraper at the site began in 2004, with developer Greg Smith of Urban Visions proposing a 27-story residential tower on the parking lot, which was zoned for an 11-story height limit.[9] In 2006, the design was revised in response to major revisions to the downtown zoning code by the Seattle City Council.

The following year, luxury hotel company Candela Hotels announced plans to build its flagship hotel inside of the building at 2nd & Pike in addition to luxury condominiums planned by Urban Visions, planned to open in 2010.[10][11] The proposed design from Tom Kundig featured a glass tower that narrowed in the middle, with the top 13 floors cantilevered out from the rest of the building.[12] Candela was later removed from the building's plans and the project was resubmitted as a 340-apartment tower by the developer in December 2009.[13]

The revised proposal was approved by the Seattle Department of Planning and Development on October 3, 2011.[14]

In January 2013, amid a growing number of similar apartment projects in the city, Urban Visions announced that the proposed building's height would be downsized to 325 feet (99 m) and converted to mixed-use by incorporating office space.[15][16] The planned downsizing was later scrapped in favor of a 27-story, mixed-use proposal announced the following month.[17][18] The mixed-use proposal, designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, featured a viewing terrace facing towards the Pike Place Market and a design that was dubbed a "tree tower".[19] The design was dropped in favor of a more conventional design from Tom Kundig of Olson Kundig Architects; Urban Visions later secured funding from Japanese real estate developer Mitsui Fudosan's American office in December 2014, allowing the project to move forward.[20][21]

Construction on the site began on July 23, 2015, under general contractor Sellen Construction.[1][22] The building was topped out in August 2017, with the completion of the 39th floor.[23] The building opened in March 2018.[6]

The construction staging area for the project necessitated the closure of a protected bike lane on 2nd Avenue that was replaced with a covered lane separated from the street by water-filled plastic jersey barriers.[24][25]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Stiles, Marc (July 23, 2015). "Construction begins on high-rise apartments by Pike Place Market". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  2. ^ "2nd & Pike". Urban Visions. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  3. ^ "Emporis building ID 1246247". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "2nd & Pike". Olson Kundig Architects. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  5. ^ "Pike Place Office". www.onemedical.com. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  6. ^ a b Stiles, Marc (January 29, 2018). "Developer Greg Smith is both anxious, confident ahead of Seattle apartment tower debut". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  7. ^ Staples, Alice (January 14, 1966). "MacDougall Store To Quit Business". The Seattle Times. p. 10.
  8. ^ "MacDougall-Southwick Department Store #2, Downtown, Seattle, WA". Pacific Coast Architecture Database. University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  9. ^ "At Second and Pike, a renewable city". The Seattle Times. January 23, 2004. p. B6.
  10. ^ Richman, Dan (September 21, 2007). "Luxury hotel to be built in Seattle". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  11. ^ Jones, Jeanne Lang (September 23, 2007). "Hotel deluxe -- new face joins fray for guests". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  12. ^ Pryne, Eric (June 15, 2008). "Candela hotel-condo project design boasts striking touches of nature". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  13. ^ Porer, Lynn (December 3, 2009). "Smith now proposes 340 apartments for his 2nd & Pike site". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  14. ^ Cohen, Aubrey (October 3, 2011). "New downtown apartment tower approved". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  15. ^ Stiles, Marc (January 14, 2013). "Urban Visions reconfigures Second and Pike project into office, residential, retail tower". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  16. ^ "New downsized development plan for 2nd & Pike". The Seattle Times. January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  17. ^ Stiles, Marc (February 26, 2013). "Urban Visions adding 12 stories to Second and Pike tower in Seattle". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  18. ^ Silver, Jon (February 26, 2013). "Urban Visions now planning 27-story tower at 2nd & Pike". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  19. ^ "'Tree Tower' at 2nd and Pike?". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. March 12, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  20. ^ Stiles, Marc (December 4, 2014). "Now with apparent financing, construction of downtown Seattle apartment high-rise is a go". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  21. ^ Levy, Nat (April 5, 2015). "Urban Visions takes aim at 'the bullseye': 2nd & Pike". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  22. ^ "2nd & Pike tower will be 'transformational'". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. July 24, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  23. ^ "2nd and Pike Tower" (PDF). Sellen Construction. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  24. ^ Nelson, LeAnne (October 20, 2015). "Comments on Rule making Sidewalk Closures a Last Resort!". SDOT Blog. Seattle Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  25. ^ Fucoloro, Tom (July 9, 2015). "City and contractor rethinking sudden 2nd Ave bike lane closure". Seattle Bike Blog. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
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