I'd cap the roofs with nice crowns and add illumination. Seriously, that's all it may need.

But they do like massive campaign contributions from a certain Mr. Bezos ...

As for the "historic" gas station in Madrona, the replacement looks interesting (what are the exterior materials?). The kooky-huge bays are cool.

Finally, that little Newell building, the middle one, looks fantastic. I'm getting all kinds of magnetic disturbances from the drawing: Mies, Stanford White, Richard Meier. Powerful. Now, please god, leave the thing pristine white and not daubed up with Pottery Barn's latest palette.

The Gordon Curve postulates that a building's maximum popularity is at its completion; then the popularity of the building decreases for 70 years. This is the crucial moment, for, if a building has survived this long, it may survive for quite a longer time. This is because after 70 years, the building's popularity begins to increase until, at 100 years of age, the popularity of the building in the community is at or approaching the popularity it had at opening.

Will these buildings be here in 70 years? 30? 150, and visited as a landmark, such as Fallingwater?

I dunno. But I think the building is pretty cool for now.

snnnaaarrrkkkyyyy!!

And the Madrona proposal has nice big windows. It'll fit in well.

They would call it "frugal", or "customer focused" but basically it amounts to "we see no reason to spend money making things nice for our people or the community around us because that money's better spent on making things cheap for customers".

Not the worst corporate rationale or behavior, but not the best either.

@7 is also on the mark.

Bezo's and by extension his company, are cheap. Plain and simple.

The city made a huge mistake(go figure) by offering them any type of zoning break, without mandating the cost savings be made up for with (subject to SLU citizen's board approval) architectural reviews that ensured something of cutting edge architecture be placed there.

Just another example of how the current board is ruining the city for decades to come.

• $6.4 million contribution by Vulcan for affordable housing and other benefits
• A combined total of 1.3 acres of publicly accessible open plaza space in the first 4 phases of development
• Phase Ia has a 24,000 square foot 24/7 public plaza, artwork and a historic preservation element
• On May 12th the Seattle City Council approved the partial alley vacation for Phase III; such vacations are only approved by City Council when it determines that the vacation is in the public interest and provides a long-term, public benefit
• Phase III includes a 17,000 square foot public courtyard, open 24/7, with extensive planted areas, benches, wayfinding signage and public art
• On May 15th, the Design Commission made a recommendation in favor of the alley vacation on the Phase IV project
• Phase IV incorporates many public benefits including a 16,000+ square foot public courtyard, open 24/7, which cuts through the middle of the block and connects to the streetcar on Terry Avenue; the courtyard has a "hillclimb assist," stairs and an elevator to help people climb the steep site from Terry to Boren Avenue; lower (Terry Avenue) courtyard also features a mature tree with a large canopy and extensive landscaping with tree well planting areas 25% larger than what is required by SDOT
• Preservation of the 320 Terry Building, built in 1915, as an integral part of the Phase IV courtyard
• For Phases III and IV, Terry Avenue North will feature a 31-foot wide sidewalk (20 feet wider than the 11-foot standard, making pedestrian use rather than automobile use, the priority), benches, street trees, bicycle racks, ornamental street lights, undergrounding utilities.