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Loft in converted warehouse asks $600K on Capitol Hill

The classic industrial vibe includes plenty of exposed wood

By Sarah Anne Lloyd
The view from the upper loft of a loft-style apartment. Closer to the camera, a framework of wood, exposed beams with crossbeams hitting just below the loft. In the distance, living room furniture in front of a large window.
The view from the home’s sleeping loft shows exposed beams and big windows.
Bill Johnson/The Photo Tour

While it’s been often-mimicked in new construction, the classic loft apartment look largely comes from industrial building conversions, like this third-story, east-facing condo in Capitol Hill. The homes in this building were carved from a 1913 warehouse, originally the Smyth Van and Storage building, in the 1990s. They’re tucked behind giant windows inside arched bays—a look leftover from the neighborhood’s days as the city’s Auto Row. Now, the top three floors are the Monique Lofts, with businesses like Sam’s Tavern taking up the ground floor.

Those tall warehouse interiors and windows translate to an airy look inside the home. 18-foot ceilings tower over the living area, accented by concrete supports. The sleeping loft gets closer to the exposed-beam ceiling that fits the vintage, but adds warmth. The kitchen is delineated by wood support beams and exposed ducts for a look that’s distinctly industrial, but not too busy.

1505 11th Avenue Unit 207 is on the market for $599,950 through John L. Scott.

Living room furniture gathered in front of large windows. A staircase up and toward the camera is visible to the left. The space has hardwood floors and two-story ceiling with exposed wood beams and planks.
Exposed-beam ceilings connect to concrete supports for a classic loft look.
A living room with hardwood floors and off-white walls. On the far wall, two large window bays (the right larger than the left) are bisected by a concrete pillar.
The living room has a modern look punctuated by exposed wood and concrete—but with homey details like a window bench.
A kitchen along a far wall. There’s an exposed ceiling beam and an open second floor with a metal railing above. There’s a metal bar-height table with barstools at either end in the foreground.
The home’s kitchen nestles beneath the loft and crossbeams, with metal cabinets, open shelving, and exposed ductwork.
An open loft-style apartment with off-white walls. Wood and iron stairs lead up and forward on the right side of the room to a loft, framed by thick, exposed-grain support beams.
The sleeping loft shares the same exposed-grain ceiling as the living area, delineated by a large crossbeam.
A bedroom. The head of a large bed is against the far wall, which is painted blue, in the center. The left wall has a simple, closed wardrobe toward the foreground, then open shelving with clothes rails and a small chest of drawers.
Fitting with the overall open look, versatile open storage lines one wall of the sleeping loft.
A photo of a black-and-white photo of a four-story old warehouse building. The ground floor has large rectangular windows, and the top three floors have large windows in arched bays. A fire escape winds up the right side.
An old photograph of the building hangs in the lobby, giving a peek at what the building used to look like.

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