The Publix is located at the southeast corner of 5th Avenue South and South King Street in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.
In 1928, the Rainier Heat and Power Company opened the Publix Hotel as a single-room occupancy hotel for its workers. The Publix is one of six remaining early buildings in the Chinatown-International District and was purchased by Uwajimaya, one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest.
Spectrum was asked to help the owners restore the heritage structure and build a new, mixed-use residential building next door. Spectrum led feasibility, financing (which included historic tax credits), design, development, and construction management.
The adaptive reuse was a complex project but it resulted in a mix and blend of historic and contemporary features, with an enclosed alley that connects the two buildings with local retail. Twenty percent of the apartment homes in the historic building are affordable with rents between 65%-85% of AMI.
- Owner/Client Uwajimaya
- Location Seattle, WA
- Size 118,000 SF
- Housing Units 125
- Completion 2016
