The Modern (formerly Third and Lenora) is a

mixed-use Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

high-rise building A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdiction ...

in the Belltown neighborhood of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington, United States. The 38-story tower, developed by Martin Selig, includes offices, retail, and 222 residential units. Construction began in September 2017 and was completed in 2020. It was originally leased to The We Company for use by their

WeWork WeWork Inc., headquartered in New York City, is a provider of coworking spaces, including physical and virtual shared spaces, in approximately 600 buildings in 125 cities. WeWork was founded in 2010 by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey. Ove ...

co-working and WeLive co-living ventures until the company ran into financial issues and the lease was terminated after the building was

topped out In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed at the top of a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is ofte ...

History

Martin Selig Real Estate announced its intention to build a 36-story residential and office tower in October 2014, shortly after purchasing three buildings on 3rd Avenue near Lenora Street for a total of $16.9 million. One of the block's buildings housed the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and was the site of a

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missile ...

in 2006. The mixed-use project initially had 140 luxury apartments and 13 floors of office space, but was changed to 384 market-rate apartments and 9 floors of offices during design review. The downtown design review board approved the revised design in March 2016. Co-working company

was announced as the building's main tenant in September by Selig, and confirmed in August 2017. WeWork was planned to occupy of office space on the lower nine floors, while the upper 23 floors would have 384 co-living residential units under the WeLive brand. The city government approved the design of Selig's Third and Lenora project in April 2017, with no major conditions or changes. The owner of a nearby printing shop filed an appeal of the city's design approval over the width of the tower, measuring facing 3rd Avenue, but the hearing examiner declined to take action. The three buildings on the site were demolished in August 2017 and construction of the Third and Lenora building began a month later under the direction of general contractor Lease Crutcher Lewis. The building was

in August 2019 with the completion of steel framing for the two-story penthouse and amenities center. In October 2019, Martin Selig Real Estate announced that its lease with WeWork would be terminated by mutual agreement amid the latter's financial situation following its cancelled

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...

. Selig stated that he would continue to work on the near-complete building, which was originally scheduled to open in late 2020. The opening was pushed back to late 2021 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and additional work required to convert the WeLive units to 222 apartments. A children's

play area A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people w ...

is planned for the 12th floor as part of the conversion to larger apartments for families. The project was renamed the "Modern" in late 2020. Leasing of the residential units began in 2022 while the office portion remained vacant. A proposal to convert the office portion into 160 residential units on eight floors was filed by Selig in January 2024.

Design

The Modern was designed as a

mixed-use development Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

with 38 stories and a total of of space. It has of retail space, of offices on nine floors, and 222 residential units. The building has a five-level underground

parking garage A multistorey car park (Commonwealth English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistorey, parking building, parking structure, parkade (Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck, or indoor parking, is a building designed fo ...

with 221 spaces. The top two floors of the building are an amenity space for residents with a

gym A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

and a "conservatory". The project was designed by

Perkins and Will Perkins&Will is a global design practice founded in 1935. Since 1986, the group has been a subsidiary of Lebanon-based Dar Al-Handasah (Arabic: دار الهندسة). History The firm was established in Chicago by Lawrence Perkins (1907–199 ...

and features a large setback above the 12th floor and a mid-level terrace to separate the office and residential floors.

References

{{Seattle skyscrapers Residential buildings completed in 2020 Residential skyscrapers in Seattle Skyscraper office buildings in Seattle 2020 establishments in Washington (state)