Ren (building)
History
The triangular lot on the southeast side of Denny Way and Fairview Avenue was home to a two-story office and retail building named the Denny Center, which was built in 1937. The lot was purchased by Vancouver-based Bosa Properties for $8 million in May 2007, with plans to not redevelop the building immediately. The firm filed plans to build a 450-unit residential tower on the property with the city government in September 2015. Bosa Properties, owned by Robert Bosa, was joined in the Denny Triangle neighborhood by Bosa Development (owned by his brother, Nat Bosa), who developed the Insignia Towers complex.
A preliminary design for the 41-story tower by ZGF Architects and Cotter Architects was unveiled in November 2015, featuring rounded edges to contrast with the "sharp, rectangular" designs of nearby high-rises. The tower's design underwent six revisions through consultations with the city government by the time its final environmental impact statement was released in February 2017. The project, renamed the Denny Centre, began construction in August 2018, a few months after the existing building had been demolished. To replace construction site visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted cross-border travel for the developers and architects based in Canada, remote tours via 360-degree video were used by the contractors on the project. The tower was branded as "Ren" and began pre-leasing in October 2021. It was opened to its first residents in January 2022 and was 60 percent leased by June.
In March 2023, Seattle-based pizzeria Tutta Bella announced that they would be opening a restaurant, cafe, marketplace, and bar at Ren. The company was awarded the sole rights to the building's hospitality and restaurant spaces, which comprise a total of 6,932 square feet (644.0 m). The Lobby Bar on the ground floor opened in May 2023.
Design
Ren is a 42-story high-rise with 457 apartment units and a three-story podium with 10,000 square feet (930 m) of retail space. The tower has 308 parking stalls in a five-story underground garage accessed from Virginia Street. The tower has an undulating façade with softened edges, inspired by the "collision between two city grids". It has 23,000 square feet (2,100 m) of amenity space, including a rooftop terrace, gym, co-working spaces, and a dog spa. The Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce named Ren the 2022 Building of the Year, with voters praising its curves and unique design. The building also won the Best Tall Building in the Americas by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat during their 2023 awards.
References
- ^ "Denny Centre". Emporis. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020.
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: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Denny Center". Kauri Investments. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Miller, Brian (February 3, 2017). "Bosa Properties completes EIS for 42-story tower on Fairview". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "Business Briefs: Development firm buys Denny Center". The Seattle Times. May 2, 2007. p. C1. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Levy, Nat (September 3, 2015). "Real Estate Buzz: Another Bosa brother has his eye on Seattle". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Levy, Nat (November 20, 2015). "Bosa shows design for 420-unit apartment tower in Seattle". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ DeMay, Daniel (November 6, 2015). "Take a look at this twisty tower proposed for Seattle's Denny Triangle neighborhood". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Stiles, Marc (August 23, 2018). "'We believe in Seattle:' Despite inventory glut, developer starts apartment tower". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Porter, Lynn (January 21, 2021). "Multivista helps developers monitor projects from a distance during pandemic". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Miller, Brian (October 27, 2021). "Bosa Family Cos. now pre-leasing its 41-story REN apartment tower". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ Stiles, Marc (June 6, 2022). "Canadian companies to develop tower on half block in Belltown". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ "Tutta Bella selected as sole hospitality tenant at REN tower". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. March 3, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Hinchliffe, Emma (July 12, 2023). "Tutta Bella opens Lobby Bar at REN tower". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ Stiles, Marc (November 4, 2015). "Developer says new curvy Seattle tower would impart 'a gentle sense of movement and protest'". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "Bosa opens REN". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. May 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ "REN tower is the DJC 2022 Building of the Year". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ Hinchliffe, Emma (June 5, 2023). "REN tower wins Best Tall Building award". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved June 8, 2023.