First Phase of Amazon.com South Lake Union Headquarters Completed
SEATTLE – April 6, 2010 – Schnitzer West and Vulcan Real Estate today announced that the first phase of Amazon.com’s new corporate headquarters in South Lake Union has now been completed. Amazon.com employees have started moving into the first phase of the buildings as the newest addition to the growing South Lake Union community.
“The site of Amazon.com’s first phase of its headquarters has been envisioned for an innovative tenant for more than 10 years. After years of hard work and experiencing several real estate cycles, we are very happy to have Amazon.com as our tenant,” said Dan Ivanoff, Schnitzer West Managing Partner.
“Amazon.com’s move to South Lake Union is an exciting day for the neighborhood, city and region as a whole. We’re thrilled to welcome the first of Amazon’s employees to their new global headquarters,” said Ada M. Healey, vice president of real estate at Vulcan Inc. “The vision of South Lake Union has come alive, and this fast-growing neighborhood has evolved into a thriving and vital part of our city that will become even more vibrant in the years to come.”
First Phase of Amazon.com Headquarters Now Open
Developed by Schnitzer West under a joint venture with Vulcan, the first phase of Amazon.com’s headquarters includes four buildings totaling nearly 450,000 square feet. Phase IA is a full block consisting of three buildings bordered by Terry Avenue N., Harrison Street, Republican Street and Boren Avenue N. Phase IB includes one new building on the southwest corner of Terry Avenue N. and Mercer.
Merging historic and contemporary elements into the new headquarters, Phase IA incorporates portions of the century-old Van Vorst Building which previously served as a stable for delivery-wagon horses. In addition, Phase IA includes an expansive outdoor public plaza with seating, landscaping and public art.
Created by local artist Ann Gardner, the striking glass-tile mosaic artwork known as Convergence has been installed as part of the Phase IA public plaza. The yellow arcs that form the artwork curve down and inward toward a central spot on the building’s wall facing onto the plaza.
Progress Continues on Amazon.com Headquarters
The entire Amazon.com headquarters includes 11 buildings totaling 1.7 million square feet, in addition to nearly 180,000 square feet of office space recently leased at Vulcan’s 2201 Westlake development – bringing Amazon.com’s total footprint in South Lake Union to nearly 1.9 million square feet. All of the buildings are located on the Seattle Streetcar line, which connects riders to the bus tunnel and light rail.
Developed by Vulcan Real Estate, phases II-IV of the headquarters includes six buildings that are currently under construction, with phase V expected to break ground next spring. The phased project is comprised of nine new construction office buildings and the renovation of two historic buildings, one of which is fully dedicated to retail.
The new headquarters also features nearly 100,000 square feet of street-level retail amenities, including the historic Terry Avenue Building which will be home to new Tom Douglas restaurants opening by mid-2011. Vulcan is working to attract new shops, restaurants and lifestyle services that enhance South Lake Union’s lively retail district.
The project team for Amazon.com’s headquarters includes three different architects (NBBJ, LMN Architects, Callison) and three general contractors (Lease Crutcher Lewis, Sellen and GLY Construction). The building diversity is guided by a common goal to activate the streetscape with lively retail, enhance the pedestrian experience, improve access to public transit connections and incorporate inviting open spaces for the public’s use.
About Vulcan Real Estate
Vulcan Real Estate directs all real estate activities for Vulcan Inc., a Paul G. Allen company. The company’s experienced, talented team of real estate professionals offers a full range of development services from site selection to build-to-suit construction. Its real estate model is based on quality, sustainable development that builds new value across the entire community. To date, Vulcan has delivered over 3.2 million square feet in 15 new office, biotech, residential and mixed-use projects in South Lake Union. The company has nearly 1.4 million square feet currently under construction and planned for delivery by 2013. For more information, visit www.vulcanrealestate.com.
About Schnitzer West
Schnitzer West, LLC is one of the Pacific Northwest's leading commercial real estate investment, development, and management companies. Formed in 1997 by Managing Investment Partner Dan Ivanoff of Seattle and Schnitzer Investment Corp. of Portland, Schnitzer West has a proven track record of success. We have developed over 2 million square feet of office, biotech, industrial and residential properties, acquired and repositioned another million square feet and manage over 4 million square feet of commercial properties in Seattle, Portland and Denver. For more information, visit www.schnitzerwest.com.
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