Pioneer Properties who started the Live Historic Brand (De Lorges, Nord, Queen's Court, Pittsburgh, Betsy Ross, and the Marlborough) had their last conversion project, Belboy on Capitol Hill. The conversion project is made of a cluster of 5 buildings built from 1893-1902. These 5 buildings (B-F) were also part of a 6 building projects acquired by Historic Seattle and rehabilitated in 1989, and later on sold to Pioneer Properties in 2008. Only one (A) building was retained by Historic Seattle and continues to operate as a low-income apartment building.
Currently, only buildings C and F are completely converted and available. The incomplete buildings will be released in phases. The 5 building conversions will offer 30 studio and one bedroom homes. The electrical and plumbing systems were updated in 1990. 7 parking spaces are available for purchase at $25,000 each. Prices range from $165,000-$275,000, mainly targeting first-time home buyers.
Studio 333-550 square feet
One bedroom 392-615 square feet
Here are a few of my observations:
- All the ground level homes for C and F building have two entry doors. One from within the building and the other one leading out to the courtyard.
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Kitchens in the C building are tucked into a corner whereas the F building kitchens open up to the living room.
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No washer and dryers in the units but they are available either in the basement or ground level.
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In a couple of homes in F building, there is a wood burning fireplace. That is kind of nice.
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The homes are still using single pane windows.
Overall, the interior conversion work on the two buildings is minimal. If you have ever seen Live Historic's other conversion projects, you will probably be surprised that the finishes used in this one are pretty basic and simple. According to the listing agent, the developer is trying to make these homes more affordable by keeping their costs low. The 5 buildings definitely create a sense of a community living. The location is surprisingly quiet and near to the Pine/Pike district.
charming units i m sure
but i bet u hear every toilet flush in the building.Those old buildings r scry
Didn’t Live Historic’s last development (Marlborough) go bankrupt in January? How does that affect this one?
i was incredibly disappointed by these, given the historical value and uniqueness of the buildings themselves, i was disappointed to find the interiors felt like recently-built dime-a-dozen suburban houses. they feel plain and boring. and small for what they are asking for them, which seems to be the problem with the live historic people.
The Marlborough is an independant LLC and has nothing to do with any of the other projects. Each individual project is an LLC.
It seems like many of their projects have gone bankrupt or are being foreclosed. Queen’s Court has about half of its units that are unsold that are set for a foreclosure auction next Friday.
It’s nice to see some lower-cost condo options on Capitol Hill (or First Hill, as some people would consider this).
I know these old buildings probably have lots of different floor plans, but I’m always disappointed that Live Historic doesn’t have ANY floor plans on their website.
Marlborough House trustee sale is today. Queen’s Court is now lender owned. De Lorge is also in foreclosure. I would be careful buying Live Historic projects.
I used to live in building C–it’s the ‘show-apartment’ on the bottom right from the courtyard…it’s definitely been upgraded since I lived there though. Too bad that they couldn’t keep these as fixed income rentals, it was an awesome place to live for not too much rent.
The DeLorges is not in foreclosure.