The Pittsburgh, a 1907 apartment building in Lower Queen Anne, is in the process of being converted into condominiums. The units will range in size from 255 to 867 square feet and prices will range from $200,000’s to the $40,000’s. In addition, four small condominiums will be available for around $150,000.
Pioneer Property group, the developers behind the project, were also behind the recent conversion of Queen’s Court, a 1930’s apartment building across the street from The Pittsburgh on Warren Avenue. Pioneer Property Group describes itself as niche developer with a social mission to "increase the density and supply of urban housing without adverse impact on our architectural heritage or the urban landscape."
According to them, the cost of maintenance of older buildings is too high for apartment use and makes them likely to be targeted for demolition to make room for more profitable high-rise buildings. By investing in condominiums and creating a community of buyers, Pioneer Property hopes to maintain the architectual charms of the neighborhood and also make it less enticing for other developers to replace the buildings.
Improvements done for the Queen’s Court building and which can be expected at the Pittsburgh include fir moldings, glass doorknobs, plaster walls and new bathrooms and kitchens with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. Sales for the Pittsburgh condominiums are expected to begin in April (Update : May, 2007).
Technorati Tags: The Pittsburgh, Queen’s Court, Queen Anne condos, Seattle condos, seattle conversions, Pioneer Property Group
Just wondering since the developer mentioned it – are there not laws in Seattle that prevents buildings that has historical or heritage values from being demolished?
Seems strange that a building that is classified as something that has architectural heritage value would be able to be demolished for highrise buildings…
The Seattle Historic Preservation Program is responsible for the designation and protection of historic structure and building. The City of Seattle uses six designation standards to determine whether or not a property has historic significance. If the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board determines that a site possesses one or more of these standards, then it qualifies as a City Landmark. Here is a great website to learn more about their program. (http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/preservation/) If the site is a designated landmark, any proposed alteration or demolition would have to be reviewed and approved by Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board. If the site has been previously surveyed and not found to have historic significance, then the owner can obtain a demolition permit at the Seattle Department of Planning and Development.
Wendy,
I just wanted you to know the Pioneer Properties Northwest has soft launched a new website; http://www.livehistoric.com The site features our vintage condo conversions along with other information pertaining to buying, living, and maintaining vintage homes.
Over the next few weeks and months, we will be adding tons of new info. We have also soft launched the Betsy Ross and Nord which you can access through Live Historic. I would love to hear your thoughts on look, info and navigation. Keep in mind that floor plans, pricing and more photos will be available soon.
Thank you,
Chris Wetzel
Thanks Chris! I’ll definitely be checking them out.