Project Description:

History
Dating back to the days of the Gold Rush, the Alaska Building originally served as a bank to the Seattle area. This 1904 building was the first steel-framed structure and the first real “skyscraper” in the Northwest. The 14-story building was designed by Eames and Young and stood as the city’s tallest building until 1911. The building was styled with Beaux Arts ornamentation which is rare in Seattle. The Alaska Building started a rush of similarly-sized buildings along the street, lending it the monicker of the Second Avenue canyon.^[1]

(Re)Developer
Marriott International is a family of wide-ranging hotel brands including: Marriott Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, EDITION Hotels, and Courtyard by Marriott. With over 800 locations in 28 countries, Courtyard caters to a wide range of travelers by offering varying accommodations.^[2]

Outcome
The historic Alaska Building once again serves travelers and visitors to the City of Seattle. Although the days of the Gold Rush are behind this northwestern city, there is still much activity and excitement happening in this growing metropolis. The bank may no longer be accepting the gold findings from prospectors, but the new Courtyard by Marriott hotel has opened its doors to provide overnight stay to tourists and business people.

Located in Pioneer Square (the original heart of Seattle), the Courtyard building is part of this well-known historic district. The hotel is within walking distance to numerous art galleries, internet companies, cafés, sports bars, nightclubs, and bookstores.^[3]

The adaptive reuse project of the building converted the numerous office floors into a 262-guest room hotel. In addition to the rooms, the hotel also boasts nine meeting rooms as well as easy mass transit connections to the rest of the city.^[4]