Last Dance at the McGuire

There’s a lot of mixed feelings as you pass by the McGuire Apartments.  This 25-story, 272-apartment high rise is only nine years old but steps are being taken to finally begin demolition and arguably, it’s the first time in Pacific Northwest history that a high rise is being de-constructed due to structural defects.  

The last of McGuire’s renters moved out in August and most of the street level venues are gone. FedEx/Kinko’s looks to be the last retailer to turn out the lights. They’re working nearly round the clock to relocate to Fourth and Cedar, in space formerly occupied by Katie’s Formal Wear and The Christian Science Reading Room. They expect to be relocated by the second week of November or sooner.

But let’s move to the tale of a project gone horribly wrong. McGuire was built in 2001 at a cost of $32 million. Its owners, Carpenter’s Tower LLC, is a property-owning collective of Carpenters Union Local 131 and the Multi-Employer Property Trust (pension funds).  The contractor, Mc Carthy Building Companies Inc., was founded in 1864 and is now employee owned.  Headquartered in St. Louis, they are one of the top ten commercial builders in the U.S., with $3.5 billion in annual revenue and nine offices nationwide.  The McGuire location was prime Belltown property at Second Avenue and Wall Street.  This looked like a partnership made in heaven.

Until 2007, that is, when Carpenter’s Tower filed a lawsuit against McCarthy over construction problems. Reports surfaced that the post-tensioned steel cables reinforcing the concrete slab floors were corroding because the ends were not properly protected with corrosion-preventive paint. Claims arose that the grout used to seal the cable ends and anchors was not the specified non-shrink grout and was defectively installed. This resulted in water leaking into these areas, causing cable ends to rust and corrode.  Deficiencies in the concrete material and reinforcement placement were also getting notice.  

After a number of inspections by a number of firms, it was concluded that the cables were likely to start breaking in 2011, and nearly one-third of them would fail by 2019. The Department of Planning and Development declared that the city intended to issue an order calling the building unsafe and if the problems couldn’t be fixed, that McGuire be demolished.   After trying to work out ways to save the building, it was decided to let it go.  Recently, legal questions were finally resolved between Carpenters Tower and McCarthy about the decision to raze the building and they have reached agreements with all the project’s subcontractors.  Settlement terms were not disclosed. Applications have now been made to the city for a demolition permit. A contractor has not been selected and a timeline has not been set.

So, a project filled with promise takes a final bow before fading away in plain sight. The dreams of Carpenter’s Tower LLC will be taken down piece by piece, a slower death than usual because of the building’s location.  One can’t help but feel the pain and anger of the union and the pension funds, and astonishment as to how McGuire’s construction could have so bad to have warranted an actual demolition. We’re sure we haven’t heard the last of this tale, and will keep you apprised of further developments.

Newmark Tower – 1415 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA 98101

Address: 1415 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA 98101
Neighborhood: Downtown

CONDOS FOR SALE

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DESCRIPTION

The Newmark Tower is one of the closest residential locations to Pike Place Market, which is also only two blocks away from downtown’s retail core. Originally J.C. Penny’s and the world’s largest department store, the building was torn down in 1989. The property was then purchased by Intrawest and architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill built the 24-story apartment tower with McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.. The tower was later converted to office and residential spaces for sale in 1993 by HAL Real Estate Investments, Intracorp and Callison Architecture. The 90,000 square feet of office space is currently leased to the building’s neighbor, WAMU. Homes are comprised of studios, 1-bedrooms and 2-bedrooms. Floorplans range from 550 to 1,100 square feet and amenities include a 24-hour concierge, indoor pool and outdoor terrace. Some units have decks that connect the living room to the bedroom. Many homes also offer city and/or sound views, although many views have been obstructed by the new Four Seasons to the west and Fifteen Twenty-One tower to the north.

PICTURES

BUILDING DATA

• Year Built: 1991
• Number of Units: 192
• Number of Stories: 24
• Exterior: Cement/Concrete
• Parking: Common Garage
• Pets: Subj to Restrictions
• H/O Dues Included: Cable TV, Earthquake Ins., Garbage, Water/Sewer
• Common Property Features & Amenities: Business Center, Cable TV, Club House, Concierge, Disabled Access, Elevator, Exercise Room, Fire Sprinklers, Hot Tub, Lobby Entrance, Outdoor Terrace, Pool-Indoor, Sauna

NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS

ADDITIONAL OPINIONS & REVIEWS

*Data is deemed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. In some cases, number of units may include commercial and residential spaces and/or height may or may not include a 13th floor.

Arbor Place Tower – 121 Vine St., Seattle, WA 98121

Address: 121 Vine St., Seattle, WA 98121
Neighborhood: Belltown

CONDOS FOR SALE

Here you can find all active listings at Arbor Place Tower. If your dream condo is not listed, sign-up to be instantly notified by email.

Sign-Up to receive an instant email notification of new Arbor Place Tower condos for sale as soon as they hit the market. Membership also includes a monthly review of all activity for this building.

DESCRIPTION

Arbor Place Tower is a mixed-use building. Originally luxury apartments and converted into condominiums by Intracorp. It includes a residential lobby and homeowner interests are taken in all portions of the building above the commercial spaces. There are 159 apartments, 159 parking spaces in garage and at least 159 storage areas in the storage rooms of the condominium. Including 7-stories of Class A office and plaza retail over 4 levels of below-grade parking. Companies involved include Tim Montgomery with TMA Architects, McCarthy Building Companies , consulting civil and structural engineers ABKJ and popular resort development company Intrawest.

PICTURES

BUILDING DATA

• Year Built: 1989
• Number of Units: 159
• Number of Stories: 26
• Exterior: Cement/Concrete
• Parking: Common Garage
• Pets: Subj to Restrictions
• H/O Dues Included: Garbage, Water/Sewer
• Common Property Features & Amenities: Cable TV, Disabled Access, Elevator, Exercise Room, Fire Sprinklers, Game/Rec Rm, High Speed Internet Available, Hot Tub, Lobby Entrance, Pool-Indoor, Security Gate

NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS

• Arbor Deli
• Black Bottle
• Euphoric
• Fancy Cleaners
• JBQ Ltd Intl Yacht Design
• Magicolor Films
• Marco’s Supperclub
• Seattle Cellars
• Raumplus
• Trade Printery
• Urban Ease
• Varenna
• Via Solferino
• XGym

VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD MAP

ADDITIONAL OPINIONS & REVIEWS

*Data is deemed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. In some cases, number of units may include commercial and residential spaces and/or height may or may not include a 13th floor.