Structure Type: built works - dwellings - houses - apartment houses

Designers: Compass General Construction LLC (firm); Coughlin Porter Lundeen (CPL), Engineers (firm); Runberg Architectural Group LLC (firm); Maria Barrientos (developer); Kenneth Frank Coleman (building contractor); James Coughlin (engineer); Terry R. Lundeen (civil engineer); Steven Porter (engineer); Runberg

Dates: constructed 2008-2009

7 stories, total floor area: 142,586 sq. ft.

1408 East Union Street
Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA 98122

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Overview

Named for a resident King Charles Spaniel, the Chloe Apartments was one of a multitude of mixed-use apartment/commercial buildings erected during the Seattle's real estate boom of the 2000s. It contained 117 units and a two-floor underground parking garage with spaces for 93 vehicles. Built at a time of heightened concern for environmentalism, the building had a green roof and two courtyards to enable daylight and natural ventilation to reach as many apartments as possible.

Building History

Barientos LLC developed the $18 million Chloe Apartments in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle that opened in 12/2009. It commissioned the Runberg Architecture Group PLLC, a firm known for its five-over-one, mixed-use designs, to design the apartment complex containing 142,586 gross square feet (88,125 net). Runberg collaborated with the lead engineering firm, Coughlin Porter Lundeen, and the general contractor, Compass General Construction LLC. According to web site of Coughlin Porter Lundeen: "Residential units boast western views, floor-to-ceiling windows and an abundance of daylight. Our firm provided both structural and civil design services for the project. The development included excavation and temporary erosion control, as well as frontage improvements, grading, water and sewer services, and storm utilities. The roof and a landscaped courtyard on the first floor help reduce the impervious footprint and mitigate stormwater runoff." (See Coughlin Porter Lundeen, "The Chloe Apartments, Seattle, WA," accessed 02/22/2017.)

The building occupied a 29,295-square-foot, 0.67-acre lot.

Building Notes

According to its first propery manager, Chasten Fulbright, "'The Chloe has been designed with two courtyards, a rooftop community room, deck, green roof and off-leash dog walk. With all of those design elements built in, the Chloe fosters resident interaction at nearly every level,' said Fulbright." (See Capitol Hill Seattle Blog, "New gym, ‘mystery’ restaurant anchor Chloe Apartments retail space," accessed 02/22/2017.)

The Chloe Apartments won a Build Washington Award in 05/2011 from the Associated General Contractors of WA (AGCWA). Compass won the award in the "Private Building $10-25 million" category. The award noted that Compass played a very active role in the design and cost management of the building during the construction process: "The Compass team was actively involved in the design review and value engineering of the building and this process resulted in the incorporation of Compass’ redesign recommendations for the parking garage and shoring systems. This minimized project exposure to a local water table and reduced the budget of several scope areas. Compass’ field management also played a day-to-day role in providing design/build ideas. For example the Compass team worked with the owner to redesign the lobby and garage elevator vestibules to allow for the elimination of elevator pressurization and associated equipment. This removed a significant piece of annual maintenance and testing from the project. Also Compass’ experience with Seattle City Light’s Built Smart program helped generate a significant rebate to the owner." (See AGCWA.com, "Category Winners: Build Washington Awards for Construction Excellence," accessed 02/22/2017.) The project also won a Golden Nugget 2011 Merit Award staged by the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC).

Renters' comments on the Chloe Apartments' Yelp web site (accessed 02/22/2017), generally praised the building's aesthetics and management but two writers complained about their units' poor acoustic insulation.

Initial businesses leasing space in the Chole Apartments included Skillet Restaurant, Marjorie (restaurant), and Mode Fitness.