Polson Building
Seattle, Washington

The Polson Building was constructed in the early 1900s as a warehouse by Perry Polson, who sold equipment to gold miners headed to the Klondike. More recently a home to several artist studios, the 86,000 SF building suffered a major fire in 1996 that destroyed the top two floors of the six-story structure. With the ensuing renovation, opportunity was taken to transform the building once again—this time to reflect a modern mixed-use identity that complements its design-oriented office and retail tenants.

Located in the historic Pioneer Square district, the building was subject to stringent design review standards. New paint and replaced windows help to integrate the structure within the surrounding context. Renovation efforts included relocation of the core, seismic upgrades, and sandblasting of the concrete walls and fire-damaged timber framing. Increasing the building's accessibility presented a particular challenge: because the surrounding sidewalks had sunk inches lower over the years, basement timbers had to be trimmed for the main entry to match.

The interior, in contrast, was designed to reflect the building's rebirth with an aesthetic that reflected the structure's industrial past with new sophistication. The lobby abandons the symmetry of the exterior, emphasizing a diagonal approach from entry to elevators. Materials and details reflect the context. Heavy timber columns, dark stained maple, and salvaged pitted steel sheets for flooring, stairs and ramp. Steel is also featured in the building directory, and a trellis that organizes the space around a large, freestanding artisan plaster wall.

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