Miller Hull

Populus Seattle features more than 300 original works of art

Five  years after the Covid-19 pandemic sent Pioneer Square on a downward spiral — shuttered businesses, closed restaurants, a dearth of people — things are looking up for the city’s first historic district. With the forthcoming opening of three new Renee Erickson eateries, the first Northwest location for famed craft-cocktail bar Death & Co, and a slew of other restaurant and retail projects set to dot the streets just north of Lumen Field, Pioneer Square seems on the verge of once again topping Seattle’s “best-of” lists.

Kicking off this neighborhood resurgence is the debut of Populus Seattle, a 120-key adaptive reuse project that will feature a rooftop bar and extensive, rotating art program. Part of the RailSpur micro-district, which includes three repurposed historic warehouses and the alleys that intersect them, the hotel pays reverence to the cultural and industrial history of the community, as well as the city at large.

“The backdrop is Seattle’s first neighborhood,” says Rod Lapasin, Populus Seattle’s general manager. “It’s so rich in history as a place of business and commerce. There are a lot of great hotels developing in the city, but this location is iconic.”

Designed by the Miller Hull Partnership, with interiors from Curioso, the project sits on the corner of First Avenue South and South King Street in a structure that dates to 1907. Originally a steam-supply warehouse called the Westland Building, the space held a number of tenants throughout the decades, from traditional offices to a co-working space. While razing the shell and pursuing a new build would have equaled a less complicated approach, the real estate development company behind the project (Denver-based Urban Villages) felt that maintaining the building’s original identity was important. Adaptive reuse also provided a more sustainable approach.

Read the full story at Seattle Mag