Transforming an Old Ice Warehouse…
…into a multi-purpose event space
A historic structure built in 1927 as an ice warehouse in downtown Seattle is the new home of a contemporary multipurpose event space, Block 41. Over the years, piecemeal renovations and modifications had carved the two story, 15,000 square-foot space into dark, small spaces. But its newest renovation, designed by Graham Baba Architects, pays tribute to the building’s origins by stripping away the non-essential insertions and partitions and revealing its age-old patina. GBA opened up the space, creating flexible rooms to accommodate large formal events or small intimate gatherings.
Situated in the trendy neighborhood of Belltown, Block 41 projects a single-story facade on 2nd Avenue and a two-story facade on the sloping Bell Street. GBA removed a portion of the second floor near the formal entry to create a double height volume and open a connection between the two floors. The two floors are also connected by a large, wooden ramp, originally used for horse-drawn ice carts, but transformed by GBA with a floating sculptural stair element. Both floors offer large, open spaces framed by massive old-growth fir timber leather-wrapped columns, exposed brick walls, and car decking floors and ceilings. Read more about this new project here.
