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Amazon’s new Troy Block in South Lake Union is officially open

See inside the brand-new buildings

By Sarah Anne Lloyd
All images courtesy of Amazon

As Amazon expands their campus downtown—and looks to expand into other cities—they’re still gaining office space in South Lake Union. The latest project to house Amazon offices in the neighborhood, the Troy Building, officially opened last week.

Located between Boren and Fairview avenues and Harrison and Thomas streets, the complex includes two towers, one 12-story and the other 13-story, connected by a lower-rise building. The design by architecture firm Perkins+Will incorporates two historic buildings. The first is the project’s namesake, the 1927 Troy Laundry Building, a two-story Beaux Arts structure declared a Seattle landmark in 1996. The second, the Boren Investment Building, is a 1938 warehouse declared a landmark in 2011, just as plans solidified for the Troy Block.

The original buildings are clear from a distance, with the original rooflines and ornamentation preserved. Up close, the brickwork and original window style add a historic touch.

Clockwise from top left: The façade of the Troy Laundry building between the north and south towers. The reception area of the south building. A flexible seating area in the north building. A meeting area in the north tower.

In addition to the 817,000 square feet that’s going to Amazon offices, the project includes five restaurants by Farestart, a nonprofit that provides job training to people struggling with homelessness, addiction, poverty, or a criminal record.

Left: The interior of Rise Café by Farestart. Right: Farestart’s Community Table. Bottom: The exterior of Maslow’s by Farestart.

The project was started by Seattle-based developer Touchstone, who was purchased by another local developer, Urban Renaissance Group, in 2014.

This massive uptick in office space comes soon after Amazon’s announcement that they’d be taking over all the office space in Seattle’s soon-to-be second-tallest skyscraper, the Rainier Tower. To the north, construction is still underway expanding Amazon’s massive campus surrounding the new Day One building—and the spheres.

This article has been updated to reflect that Perkins+Will is the architect on the project.