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Overview

This small reinforced concrete office building served as the headquarters of the Howard S. Wright Construction Company in the 1980s. It had a Brutalist aesthetic, late for a style that peaked in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s.

Building History

The Seattle architectural firm, Chester L. Lindsey and Associates, designed this rectangular office building in 1982. The Howard S. Wright Construction Company erected it. It opened on Monday, 10/25/1982.

The umbrella corporation, Wright-Schuchart, Incorporated, was the primary tenant originally. It had multiple subsidiary units, including the main three, the General Construction Company, building marine projects; Wright Schuchart Harbor Company focused on industrial jobs; and the Howard S. Wright Construction Company handling commercial contracts. The Wright Schuchart Harbor Company was combined into the General Construction Company in 1996. In addition to these three main units, Wright-Schuchart, Incorporated, also spun off another subsidiary, Schuchart and Associates, an engineering firm that focused on industrial projects. Robert Harris purchased Schuchart and Associates in the 1980s, renaming the firm "The Harris Group." The New Zealand-based wood products, pulp and energy conglomerate, Fletcher Challenge, purchased Wright-Schuchart, Incorporated, in 1987. The President of the Wright-Schuchart, Incorporated, George Schuchart, Sr., retired from the firm in 1988. (See Schuchart.com, "Hall of Fame at UW adds 3: Schuchart, Ashbaugh and Wright," published 05/27/2014, accessed 07/25/2018. Artcle by Benjamin Minnick, reprinted from the Daily Journal of Commerce.) Fletcher Challenge ran into financial difficulties by the mid-1990s and was dismantled by its board in 12/1999, with subsidiaries sold off to the highest bidders.

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America sold the Wright-Schuchart Building to SP Real Estate Fund 2, LLC and its partners on 05/15/2001. SP Real Estate Fund 2, LLC, continued to own the office building in 2018.

Building Notes

In 1982, the Wright-Schuchart Building was given a Builders of Our Community Environmental Award, sponsored by the Seattle-King County Board of Realtors. (See "Building dedicated; wins award," Seattle Times, 10/31/1982, p. D6.)

In 2018, the Wright-Schuchart Building occupied a 28,800-square-foot (0.66-acre) lot. It contained 134,056 gross square feet, 69,504, net. The basement had parking for 162 vehicles. The building was heated by a heat pump system in 2018.

Land and improvements had a total taxable value of $24,870,500 in 2018, up from $13,370,000 in 2013 and $13,927,000 in 2008.

Thank you to University of Washington Prof. Jeffrey Ochsner for providing some of the information on this building, 07/16/2018.

Alteration

Alterations to the Wright-Schuchart building occurred in 1990. A $75,000 remodeling project occurred in 1993, and a larger, $305,000 effort occurred in 2003-2004.