Last week, the Meriwether Partners secured their land use permit to convert the landmarked Ainsworth & Dunn warehouse at 2815 Elliott Avenue into office space. The 28,730 square foot block was originally purchased in 2015 for $9 million by Meriwether Partners with partner, Nitze-Stagen. Meriwether bought out Nitze-Stagen in the spring and now has sole ownership of the project.
The project architect, Weinstein A+U, designed a third story pavilion that will be added above the existing building and include a rooftop terrace. The Ainsworth & Dunn Building, also known as the A&D Building, will have a total of 32,377 square feet of office space. The 115 year old building will also receive seismic upgrades throughout its heavy timber structure.
In addition to the renovations there will be construction of a new six-story residential and retail building. The new building, called 10 Clay, will include 62 market-rate apartment units and ground floor commercial space. The ground floor will include 3,955 square feet of retail and 2,892 square feet of “signature restaurant space.” Floor plans will range from studios to two-bedroom with sizes from 465 square feet to upwards of over 1,100 square feet. 10 Clay will have a roof deck with an amenity penthouse and expansive views of Elliott Bay.
Beneath both buildings will be one level of parking for 60 vehicles. The two buildings will be connected via an atrium-like pedestrian walkway that will split the block. The total project size, including the parking, is around 129,000 square feet.
The Ainsworth & Dunn warehouse was built in 1902 by Seattle salmon packing company Ainsworth & Dunn as a warehouse to service Pier 14 (now Pier 70) which was built in 1901. The building was designated landmark status in August 2014. For the past 46 years it has been known as the Old Spaghetti Factory before closing their doors last December.
The site is now fenced for construction to begin which will take about 18 months. It is scheduled for completion in 2019.