Residents Trying To Save Seattle's Historic Roy Vue Building

SEATTLE, WA - A group of Capitol Hill residents are trying to prevent developers from converting the historic Roy Vue Apartments from 34 apartments into 147 micro-apartments. The developers want to build an addition to the building across a portion of the Roy Vue's community garden space, according to plans.

The Roy Vue was built in 1924 and designed by architect Charles L. Haynes, the designer of buildings like the Masonic Temple on Capitol Hill and the Mt. Baker Community Club. The people behind the effort are trying to gather 2,000 signatures for a petition, and are asking their supporters to contact City Council.

What is Capitol Hill if we obliterate the past? While we are creating density, can we not also protect irreplaceable structures and ways of life that can never be replicated again? Without these buldings, do we lose all sense of character and civic identity? We need to foster the preservation of unique and historic spaces that offer mid-range housing that meets the needs of workers and its inhabitants. These buildings, not just the Roy Vue, offer quality of life and sense of place. - Save The Roy Vue

According to the group Save The Roy Vue, the developers are Brad Padden and David Sharkey. Sharkey and Padden have been involved in redeveloping other buildings around Seattle - the Cranmore Apartments on Beacon Hill and an older brick building at 423 Terry Ave. in the First Hill neighborhood.

Padden was the developer who renovated the Summit Inn, causing rents to increase for the building's artist residents. According to city records, plans to redevelop the Roy Vue are under review by the department of Construction and Inspections.

Find out more about the effort to stop the Roy Vue development here.

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