VintageSeattle.org

Instead of demolishing one of Seattle’s historic industrial icons, when developing the property that would become Alley 24 Vulcan Real Estate instead opted for adaptive re-use of The New Richmond Laundry Building. Every once in a while, developers realize that there is a market for and an acceptable way to meld the old and the new. Alley 24, located in South Lake Union at 224 Pontius Ave is a very nice example of this. As you’ll see from the photos, the new apartment building envelopes the old brick laundry building (which itself was used for townhomes). The laundry facility was built in 1917 and designed by architect Max Umbrecht (remember him from this great story?) and known then as Metropolitan Laundry. The solid brick building served the laundry industry until 1999 when it was vacated and designated a historic landmark. For more information on the history of the building and Seattle’s laundry industry, check out this site. Well, let’s take a close up look at the building. Click on the images… oh you know the deal by now.

The west face of the property. In the foreground is the New Richmond Laundry Building and in the background the new modern Alley 24 apartment building.	Alternate angle of the front facade. To the right is the walkway in between townhomes.
A closer look at the windows on the front side of the building.	Inspecting the entryway. The original rusting and structurally unsound overhang was replaced during renovation.
Walking east through the walkway, tasteful landscaping contrasts nicely with the industrial building.	The opposite wall of the walkway. Some sections of brick had to be replaced with newly poured concrete foundation.

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