There’s a lot of History Behind Gridiron

It was tough interrupting cocktail hour at our floating home this evening to swing by the Gridiron Sales Center(Gridiron is a 107-unit condo project going up in Pioneer Square) for “an intimate and thought-provoking panel discussion” about design and historic preservation. But interrupt it we did.

At the event we heard from Gridiron developer, Kevin Daniels, David Hewitt, principal designer for Gridiron and Karen True, Director of Business Development at the Alliance for Pioneer Square, moderated by Theresa Crim, of Design Within Reach.

It was especially entertaining to hear Kevin rant about Seattle’s abundance of “tall ugly buildings” and call out by name, prominent Seattle developer Martin Selig for his bland buildings, like the Columbia Center, with quotes like, “what was he thinking!?” As well as Paul Allen for his well-built (except for that 2200 lawsuit), but un-interesting, “Vulcanville”. It was obvious that Kevin is a passionate developer who feels his other project, the Mark, will be a welcome, and unique, addition to the Seattle skyline.

But what was most interesting was hearing David Hewitt speak about how they considered Pioneer Square’s past in putting together the design for Gridiron. There was lots of talk about compositional tension, and what went into the design of the east facade and how it differs from the west. It was clear he took his responsibility for designing a building at the intersection of Occidental and Railroad Way very seriously. I wish there was a way the team at Gridiron could capture his passion for the project so buyers could understand the history of what they’re buying and the deep thought that has gone into it.

Fun fact from Karen: 37 restaurants have recently opened in Pioneer Square. She also spilled the beans that in-conjunction with Paul Allen they’re bringing a music festival to Pioneer Square next May with 26 different venues; from cafes to loading docks!

After the event Kevin took a few of us up to the Nolo to get a taste of what Gridiron’s rooftop views will be like; they’re sweet. He also revealed that at noon tomorrow a monster $20,000 banner will be unfurled at the Mark.

Want to check out the Gridiron? We’d be happy to help you look at buying a condo there! Just drop us a line at [email protected] or call/text 206-618-1600