The Emerald (building)

The Emerald is a future mixed-use skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. The 40-floor tower will include 262 condominiums, retail space, and amenity spaces on outdoor terraces. It began construction in July 2017 and is expected to be completed in 2020.

The Emerald
Under construction in April 2018
Location within downtown Seattle
General information
Status	Topped-out
Type	Residential
Location	1613 2nd Avenue Seattle, Washington, US
Coordinates	47°36′38″N 122°20′26″W
Construction started	July 2017
Topped-out	July 2019
Estimated completion	September 2020
Height
Architectural	439 ft (134 m)
Top floor	400 ft (120 m)
Technical details
Floor count	40
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Hewitt Architects
Developer	Daniels Create World Seattle, LLC
Main contractor	Andersen Construction
Other information
Number of units	262 condominiums
Parking	63 spaces
References
[1]

History

The site, at the southwest corner of 2nd Avenue and Stewart Street, was home to the two-story Ames Building (also known as the MJA Building) from 1914 to 2017.[2][3] Atlanta-based real estate developers Wood Partners filed plans to develop a 400-foot (120 m) residential tower at the site in March 2014, while property owner Principal Global Investors submitted the Ames Building for landmark status.[3] The Landmarks Preservation Board rejected landmark status for the Ames Building in August, allowing for it to be demolished for the new tower.[4] Wood Partners and Hewitt Architects submitted an initial design plan to the city in December, proposing that the tower's upper 24 stories cantilever over the adjacent Broadacres Building.[5]

After a series of design review meetings in 2015, the number of residential units in the building was reduced from 230 to 177, and the number of parking spaces was increased and split between underground and above-grade levels.[6] The project and property was sold to a Chinese developer, Create World America, for $17.1 million in June 2016, with plans to convert the residential units into condominiums.[7] A revised design with 266 condominiums, additional retail space, and reduced, underground-only parking was unveiled in January 2017, along with a name, "The Emerald", inspired by Seattle's nickname of the "Emerald City".[8]

Construction of The Emerald began in July 2017 and it was topped out two years later.[9] It was originally scheduled to be complete by March 2020, but was pushed back to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][11] As of February 2020, 25 percent of units at The Emerald have been reserved by buyers.[12] Full occupancy is expected in September 2020.[11]

Design

The Emerald will be 40 stories tall, consisting of a two-story glass podium with 4,600 square feet (430 m²) of retail space and 38 stories of condominiums.[13] The building's 262 condominiums will include one-, two-, and three-bedroom units that range from 569 to 1,189 square feet (52.9 to 110.5 m²).[9] The upper floors include 22 penthouse units that cost between $2 million and $10.5 million for a 4,000-square-foot (370 m²) unit.[14] The upper 23 floors will cantilever 14 feet (4.3 m) over the adjacent Broadacres Building, expanding the floorplate from 7,350 square feet (683 m²) at street level to 9,100 square feet (850 m²).[8][15] Two amenity areas, located on the rooftop and on the third floor, will include outdoor balconies with views of Pike Place Market and the Olympic Mountains.[8][15] Residents will also have access to a fleet of on-demand Tesla electric cars through a smartphone app.[16] The Emerald has 62 parking stalls, the lowest stalls-per-unit ratio of any new residential building in Downtown Seattle, and has 20 additional spaces leased from the adjacent Thompson Hotel.[12]

References

1. The Emerald at Emporis
2. "Summary for 1613 2nd Ave". Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
3. Porter, Lynn (April 1, 2014). "Wood Partners eyes 2nd & Stewart tower". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
4. "1613 Second Avenue not a city landmark". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. August 8, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
5. Stiles, Marc (December 8, 2014). "Stretching out: Proposed Second Avenue high-rise may jut out over Broadacres Building". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
6. "39-story tower eyed for 2nd and Stewart site". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. September 29, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
7. Stiles, Marc (June 10, 2016). "Chinese company plans condo high-rise by Pike Place Market". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
8. "On the Block: Create World revises design for condo tower". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. January 12, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
9. "Daniels tops off The Emerald". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
10. Zhou, Nuoya (July 20, 2017). "Construction starts on condo tower by Pike Place Market". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
11. Stiles, Marc (August 14, 2020). "New condo tower near Pike Place Market cuts asking prices". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
12. Khashimova Long, Katherine (February 7, 2020). "A tower of luxury condos with almost no parking? This experiment seems to be failing". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
13. "Create World cues up The Emerald, and 1914 building is coming down". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. July 10, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
14. Khashimova Long, Katherine (December 20, 2019). "Waterfront penthouse, Tesla included: $11 million". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
15. "The Emerald". Hewitt Architects. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
16. Levy, Nat (April 22, 2019). "This new Seattle high-rise condo tower will come with a fleet of Teslas that residents can rent". GeekWire. Retrieved April 22, 2019.