Seattle Archdiocese

A new energy is forming around St. James Cathedral in Seattle's First Hill district.

Specifically, energy free of greenhouse gas emissions that are heating the planet.

In March, the Seattle Archdiocese announced plans to sell four properties it owned to Westbank, a Vancouver-based developer that is working to create a carbon-neutral energy system in the Emerald City neighborhood.

The futuristic-sounding project will provide clean energy to buildings across the First District, including the cathedral and O'Dea High School, by capturing and redirecting excess thermal energy produced by Swedish Health Services, which in March merged with Providence Health founded by the Sisters of Providence. The project, being developed with Creative Energy, aims to provide free heating to the health system, along with nearby residential buildings and the wider neighborhood, including Seattle University.

Once completed, it would make First Hill one of the largest decarbonized communities in North America, eliminating upwards of 12,000 tons of carbon emissions annually (the equivalent of taking 2,200 cars off the road), according to Westbank, which has established a similar carbon-free energy community in Vancouver.

How the Seattle Archdiocese became involved was part location, part logistics and part Laudato Si'.

The cathedral has long been a focal point in First Hill, one of the city's oldest neighborhoods. About 125 archdiocesan staff work within four nearby buildings, all of which are being sold to Westbank as part of the development deal.

"Redeveloping our real estate in a very efficient and sustainable way not only reflects our Catholic value of caring for our common home, but also provides us with resources to carry out our greater mission of bringing Christ to others," Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne said in a March statement.

Etienne called minimizing humanity's impact on the earth "our responsibility as Catholics" and said the Westbank-led sustainability project "will ensure that the redevelopment uses green building techniques, processes and materials, while alleviating future environmental impacts with the district energy plan."

Seattle: A 23-year-old Indian student from Andhra Pradesh died in the US after a patrol vehicle of the Seattle Police Department hit her as she crossed the road.

Jaahnavi Kandula (23), a student of the South Lake Union campus of the Northeastern University, is the deceased.

South Lake Union is a neighbourhood of Seattle in the Washington state on the US west coast. 

RELATED ARTICLES

• 

  World

  Two planes collide during US air show; 6 feared dead

• 

  India

  10 dead, 41 injured in head-on collision between bus, mini-truck in UP

The accident occurred between Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street on Monday night, local time, as Janvi was crossing the road. 

After administering the first aid, she was taken to Harbour View Medical Centre at First Hill, Seattle.   However, her life could not be saved, the Seattle Police Department informed in a statement.

Multiple, serious injuries caused her death. An investigation is on into the incident.

Jaahnavi, a native of the Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, had joined the University in December. 

Property Watch: A Vintage NYC-Style Condo in First Hill - Seattle Met

Details

Tech Support by: Emerald City IT

Support Field: Downtown

Support Category: First Hill

Around the turn of the twentieth century, First Hill became the hot neighborhood for Seattle residents of means, given its unfettered views and proximity to downtown. While it mansions are what first popped up, apartment buildings soon followed. And in 1929, one of the most luxurious of them all opened: 1223 Spring Street.

The concrete building with brick and terra-cotta ornamentation was designed by Earl Wilson Morrison, known for his high-rise apartments in Seattle and elsewhere in Washington. It was modeled after the Park Avenue style in New York City, with all the creature comforts the well-to-do could want: Fireplaces! Foyers! Electric clothes dryers! Separate service elevators!

The Depression put a bit of a damper on things, but 1223 Spring Street persisted, transforming into a co-op and, later, condos. Time has marched on, but the charm of the original building—and the full-time door staff—remains.

Walk through the lobby, shared with one neighbor—we say whoever’s lived here longest is responsible for decorating—and arrive in the gallery, prime space for displaying an art collection. The original oak parquet floors here run throughout most rooms.

Through an arched entry, the living room features a wood-burning fireplace with its original marble and a convenient chute for dumping the ashes. Outside the windows of this third-floor unit—which faces west, north, and south—a tree canopy gives it that residential feel. Speaking of the windows, the architect designed them to be cracked open in the summertime to get cross-ventilation throughout, providing a breeze that’s naturally cooling. In the colder months, radiators provide steam heat.

For food-related spaces, there’s a kitchen with an eat-in area, a formal dining room, and a butler’s pantry. Butlers may not be a part of everyone's household these days, but who won't appreciate all that storage space.

The three bedrooms have wool carpet. According to the original marketing prospectus, each of the bedrooms was designed to have an abundance of wardrobe space, “including a drawer for shoes, a hat drawer, and a drawer sufficiently large for gowns without folding.” Because, you know, folding your gowns is a real bummer.

The condo comes with storage on the first floor, where there’s also a formal lobby, a laundry room, a boardroom, and a reading room. On the south side of the building, there are two levels of parking.

Listing Fast Facts

1223 Spring St, Unit 301
Size: 2,666 square feet, 3 bedrooms/2.5 baths
List Date: 1/16/2023
List Price: $1,300,000, $2,704/mo HOA
Listing Agent: Kristi Buck, Coldwell Banker Bain