Law and coffee — Firm's move to Capitol Hill will include overhaul of E Olive Way building - CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News
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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. Philip, 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,” Philip 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; Philip 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,” Philip said.
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. Philips 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, Philip said, since the renovations will allow the group to design a custom work space which matches how their office operates.
Philip 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, Philip 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.
Philip 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,” Philip said.
Rather than just plain walls, Aeon is working to hire local artist Henry to paint murals. Philip 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, Philip 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.
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source: https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2021/12/law-and-coffee-firms-move-to-capitol-hill-will-include-overhaul-of-e-olive-way-building/
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