Location: Seattle, Washington
Developer: Capitol Hill Housing
Designer: SMR Architects

The development of 12th Avenue Arts transformed a 29,000-square-foot (2,700 sq m) surface parking lot into a light-filled cultural center mixing arts, housing, and public-safety needs. The activation of this specific plot of land had been mentioned in two neighborhood plans over the last 12 years as the highest community priority. Active day and night, the space has become a new anchor of the community.

It features 88 new affordable apartments for working families and individuals. This development addresses the loss of affordable studio and performance space in the Capitol Hill neighborhood by providing 20,000 square feet (1,900 sq m) of new cultural space and arts-related commercial space, featuring two professional theaters available for rental at affordable rates. The project also provides 115 stalls of secure below-grade parking exclusively for the use of the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct.