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| The Shoremont from across Alki Ave SW. | Moving closer to the facade at the corner of Alki and 57th. |
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| Roofline detail: birds and Spanish tile. | An up close look at the brick exterior and window. |
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| Another look at a main entrance. | The same entrance from opposite angle. Some windows are boarded up. |
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| Similar view, showing overgrown lawn area. | A second entrance along Alki Ave SW. |
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| Alternate brick and window detail. | Six over one double hung sash. |
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| Looking southwest down Alki Ave. | Back of the building with parking lot. |
Alki’s Shoremont Apartments
October 14th, 2008 @ 12:20 am by Cliffe | Sorted Historic Buildings |
At times it’s depressing here at Vintage Seattle headquarters. Most weekends I feel like the newspaper’s obituary writer — rushing around from site to site snapping photos of buildings that aren’t long for this world. Say hello to Alki’s Shoremont Apartments, or rather, say goodbye. This 1920′s era brick apartment building is fully permitted for demolition (though on a slightly more uplifting note there’s a chance it may be moved). To add more drama to the building’s history, news broke today that developer Pb Elemental laid off 16 of its 50 employees. What effect this will have on the demolition/move isn’t known. Either way, see the Shoremont while you can as you stroll (but not cruise) down Alki Ave while it slowly goes clone-modern. My photos below.
I have an inquiry out to the Pb person who left a detailed comment on our September report about the permit issuances on this project – we’ll see if we hear back.
To me, this building has little aesthetic or practical value in either design or function. What I lament and admire, though, is the quality and endurance of its materials and construction, that in its day, were more of a standard than an exception – when things were built to last.
Sad that this building did not get to last.
I was about to say RPH… Cliffe laments character being sucked away, but this building is just about as generic as generic gets. 1920′s generic I grant, but generic none the less. I don’t know about Seattle (I live over on the Peninsula), but back East I can take you to places where there are literally blocks of these horrors.
Character is relative. Consider what’s being put up to replace it: image.
For example, Paccar Tower is ugly as hell. image But it gives downtown Bellevue some diversity, some visual contrast and texture. Look at the rest of Alki Ave — clone after clone after clone. You guys can call these mid-rises horrors or pedestrian, but right now we have a choice between horror and more-horrific.
I totally know how you feel. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been stopped in my tracks whenever I see an old building slotted for demo (or being demolished). Slowly, building by building, Seattle is losing its history and character. And look at the terracotta tiling on the roof! I seriously doubt they will replace it with anything so well constructed. Sigh.
Cliffe- funny they should embellish that modern day schlock rendering with a ’57 Chevy convertible in the foreground, lest we forget classic styling.
Hah. Yeah, I also always love seeing the architectural renderings with bicyclists, dogs playing fetch, children frollicking. They never seem to render in homeless beggars or pot-holes.
Cliffe; I don’t find the replacement building that horrible myself. But then, as I said, I grew up where clones of the original building were as common as dirt. Clones have pretty much always been the way of things. We appreciate great architecture because it is rare in precisely the way this building isn’t.
We don’t see many of these older buildings as clones, because many of the contemporaties have been demolished over the years, or remodeled out of all recognition.
I was saddened to see this building going away, but then I went to a website that really puts it in perspective.
http://www.forgottendetroit.com
You’ve got to see this
I lived here for 5 years and loved it! I just moved out in summer of 2007. At that point, it was planned for demolition/rebuild for many months, but it kept getting delayed. It overlooks Puget Sound; from the second story window (my old window) one sees only ocean outside. It is a positively magical place to live and I wish I could have bought it. What a dream while it lasted. If anyone knows of viable plans to save it, let me know.
Wow. I was just looking up “vintage rentals” in SW Seattle, because I actually prefer the craftsmanship over the modern ergonomic design/efficiency of layout, and came across this. How sad to see this is no longer offering historic living space that seems to speak out to you, unlike the utilitarian apartments that are now deemed “modern” instead of “lacking any character of any kind”.
I think the front of the Shoremont should be saved and a new building put up behind it. That has been done before on Alki, with good results.
This is so sad. I love the Shoremont building. It is a landmark and they were beautiful apartments on the inside and much better than anything that would replace them. I really hope something changes to prevent this.
Calling the Shoremont a “horror” is ridiculous. I’d like to see the building YOU live in.
The building is bank owned and back on the market, so if the price gets low enough, it may have a little life left in it.
Unfortunately, the land value got so high during the boom ($2.2 million) that there was no way to reconcile that with the rents. And, since owning rental property is not a non-profit endeavor, once tear down value exceeds the return on investment, it doesn’t make much financial sense to keep leasing it out.
This building has only 8 units and they are 1/1s that are about 775 s.f. So, even if you could get $1,100/mo for the units, that only supports a valuation of about $1,200,000. At $2,200,000 (the last sale price), you’d actually be LOSING about $5500/month at those rents. Unfortunately it is bay front property with a killer view of downtown, so it’s value for redevelopment is always going to exceed it’s value as rental property.
The big question mark at this point in the recession is by how much. If the value drops low enough (about 50% from it’s peak), it might survive for a bit longer as a rental property. (If someone is willing to plow $80,000+ into rehabbing it.) But when the values go up again (and eventually they will), it will be a goner.
My entire business model revolves around buying and restoring buildings just like this one… but they are getting harder & harder to find!