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Philipp
A downtown law firm plans to make the move to Capitol Hill, and it’s planning to bring a new coffee shop along for the ride.
Aeon Law, an intellectual property firm currently in Pioneer Square, is coming to the neighborhood for a number of reasons, said Adam L.K. Philipp, the firm’s founder.
“Downtown isn’t as appealing as it used to be,” he said.
He noted that most clients no longer expect to come into the office for meetings, so a prestige address is not the sort of thing to worry about too much anymore. And it’s not just clients staying away from the office, many on the staff work remotely as well. That started them thinking that it might be nice to make a new place the changing reality of office work, where only five-15 members of the firm will likely be in the office on any given day.
“We wanted a better environment, a better workspace,” Philipp said.
The new location has other advantages, with most of the workers in the firm not driving, they look forward to being just a couple blocks from the Iight rail in a walkable neighborhood; Philipp sounded genuinely excited to hear that HMart would soon be opening nearby.
Furthermore, he said the commercial landlords have not been sympathetic to COVID-related issues.
“If that’s how landlords are going to treat us, why don’t I find a better landlord – myself,” Philipp said.
The corner of E Olive Way is due for an overhaul
The firm is purchasing the property at 1718 E Olive Way, the corner of Olive and Bolyston. The building which began as a home, but hasn’t been for a long time. Most recently, it was the home of the Pin Cushion acupuncture practice, which moved around the corner.
The building’s larger claim to fame is as the office of Benjamin McAdoo, the first Black person to maintain an architecture firm in the state of Washington.
It’s had a lot of different uses over the years, and is zoned to permit office, residential, retail and warehouse. Aeon plans to put three of those four to use.
But first, some renovations. As it has seen many tenants and uses, the space has been renovated quite a few times, and there’s one more coming. Philipp said the firm plans to transform the current space, which is now in a bit of disarray, with winding stairwells and odd corridors.
“It’s very much a labyrinth inside,” he said.
There’s a totally enclosed alley, which has three “back doors” opening into it. (For the philosophers, or stoned undergraduate architecture students among us, at what point does an enclosed alley become a courtyard? Discuss.)
But all of the needed changes spoke to the firm, Philipp said, since the renovations will allow the group to design a custom work space which matches how their office operates.
Philipp said the plans include space on a middle and upper floor for the law firm, and an apartment on the top floor. He expected the apartment will be rented out by an employee of the firm.
In addition to the law firm, Philipp says they have plans to open a coffee shop, possibly one with sandwiches or other quick lunch options. As a firm that works in intellectual property and patents, they have a soft spot for creative types, and like the idea of opening the kind of place often home to creative endeavors.
Philipp said the details have yet to be worked out, but the firm may decide to actually own the shop and hire an experienced manager to run the place. An area which is now home to a big tree might be used for outside café seating, as well.
Externally, beyond that, they expect a fresh coat of paint on the outside walls.
“We like to support the arts, though less so the graffiti arts,” Philipp said.
Rather than just plain walls, Aeon is working to hire local artist Henry to paint murals. Philipp said they hope one of the murals will become a destination, and may have a Sasquatch with its arm out so people can take photos with it.
The plans are already in progress, Philipp said. Renovations have begun, and the law firm expects to move in in early 2022. The coffee shop, which has yet to be named, will open a bit later.
CORRECTION: In the original post, we misspelled Philipp. It has been corrected throughout. Sorry for the error!
HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
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Love this, a professional service, cafe, and local art all living in the same space. Seattle needs more of this and less developers slamming box panel buildings on every square inch with empty or non-existent ground retail.
All sounds good except for the Henry mural. No offense to that artist as an individual, but they are so cheesy and at this point so over done around the city. There are so many other talented mural artists in the area. Japhy Witte is an obvious non Henry choice. But there are so many others… I do hope these people shop around before committing to a Henry.
Agreed.
Henry is to art what Kenny G is to jazz.
” … so a prestige address is not the sort of thing to worry about too much anymore.”
Maybe starting off on the wrong foot?
” …may have a Sasquatch with its arm out so people can take photos with it.”
I pass by here nearly every day. I hope for something much less cliche.
I completely agree with your assessment of their potential choice in street art.
However, “prestige” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a better neighborhood, so there’s no reason for anyone to perceive it as an insult.
Capitol Hill has *never* been considered a prestige address for a law firm, or any commercial office space, really. Retail and residential? Of course.
But can you name three Class A office buildings on Cap Hill? (Or in any other Seattle neighborhood outside downtown, for that matter?)
They may exist, but I honestly can’t think of a single one.
I happen to like Henry as an artist and a person. He will not be the only local artist we feature though. We already have local artworks we will be moving from our old offices. However, Henry’s art makes people (including myself) smile, so we decided to share some of his joy. And eventually, once we get a coffee shop opened, there will be a rotating wall of art.
May law firms create their Class A highrise office spaces to impress clients. However, most of our clients are remote and enjoy working with us remotely. We decided to look for a workspace that would be a good “home” for our team to collaborate in. We were thrilled to find this interesting building that worked well for us.
“the commercial landlords have not been sympathetic to COVID-related issues.”… Philip said…… In other words, he didn’t want to pay rent.
If by not paying rent means asking for accommodation for a reduction in the landlord’s services and a reduction in the value of the location and a failure by the landlord to address safety issues for my team members, then guilty.
What a refreshing change from the ugly, out-of-proportion boxes that are going up in our neighborhood! Now, I expect that density-at-any-cost advocates will criticize this plan for not providing more housing.
Welcome to the neighborhood!!
Thank you! We are looking forward to it!
Nothing like a law firm to add charm and character to a neighborhood!
Well, not as much charm as the mostly-empty building that sat there for years, perhaps.
A new cafe, providing new jobs? Sounds like a nightmare.
The good news? Seattle is still FULL of empty buildings and storefronts adding charm and character to their neighborhoods, and that’s not likely to change soon!
The cafe is still in nascent form. We already had some suggestions for local businesses that they would welcome a place to get quick sandwiches for lunch. We will not have room for a big kitchen, but I would love to know if anyone else has suggestions.
We are a firm that protects creaters. Artists, musicians, and inventors. We hope that even if we are not perceived as adding charm, we can help our clients to add more charm to the neighborhood and the world.
PLEASE – not Henry!! Hire an artist!