In summer of 2025, Historic Seattle learned about a proposal to demolish most of a downtown Seattle landmark, the Doyle building, leaving only two facades with 16 stories of new construction behind the historic facades. We were shocked and dismayed to learn of this ill-conceived plan to destroy a protected designated landmark from an inappropriate facadectomy. Plans were presented to the Landmarks Preservation Board (LPB) in August 2025. Historic Seattle submitted these public comments. The Board had a lot of questions during the briefing (no action was taken). We had hoped the project would go away but it’s back and the revised proposal is even worse because the new construction is for a 23-story new residential building behind two historic facades at 270’ in height.
Let’s be clear. This is NOT an addition to a landmark. This is NOT adaptive reuse. If approved, this would be a demolition of most of the landmark.
About the Doyle Building
The J.S. Graham Store / Doyle Building at 119 Pine Street is home to a Pendleton shop on the first floor and until May 2026 it was also home to BECU. The upper floors provide office space (not currently fully leased). The landmark is in very good condition and retains a high level of integrity (little has changed on the exterior), having been properly maintained by its owners and stewards since it was constructed. Built in 1919-1920, the building was designated as a Seattle landmark in 1987 and City Council passed the designating ordinance in 1988 so it has controls (protection) on the north, east, and west facades and the roof. It is considered one of the finest Italian Renaissance style buildings in Seattle and was designed by prominent Portland architect, A.E. Doyle. The Doyle building (as it is now called) was also listed in the National Register of Historic Places and Washington Heritage Register in 1987.
While not a large or tall structure, the Doyle building has stood out through the decades as downtown has evolved, bearing witness to and surviving the boom-and-bust nature of this city. This human-scale, right-size, mixed-use building stands today due to its original high quality of design, construction, materials, condition, and integrity.
Maximize Return, Destroy a Landmark
Because of this pedigree, it would be tragic to destroy the historic character and integrity of the four-story Doyle building by leaving only two facades of the landmark in place. The proposed new construction is out-of-scale and incompatible with the landmark building. The adverse impact of the project is not only to the landmark but also to its neighbors and streetscape. Buildings do not exist in a vacuum. As proposed, the project would not meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation (rules that the Landmarks Preservation Board adopted in 1987 that are supposed to be followed in its decision-making process).
The team behind this project overstates the dire circumstances of the building and is trying to maximize profit at the expense of the landmark. We believe the intent is to put together a project with entitlements to sell the property. The landmark’s survival does not depend on this massive new construction. Creating a problem that does not exist to save something is a spurious tactic. And pitting preservation against housing creates a false narrative in this case.
If the owner/developer is claiming economic reasons for the project, then alternatives/options should be seriously considered, and they need to submit financials to the LPB that are not skewed to only support their proposal. The current owner acquired the property in 2012 knowing full well the Doyle building was a designated landmark with controls in place.
So here we are more than a year later and the project team has attempted to address the Board’s questions by doubling down on the approach, increasing the height of the new construction, and offering their own “creative” interpretation of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. This revised proposal is even worse because they are also proposing to replace the original upper-floor windows.
What Can You Do?
A briefing is planned for the Landmarks Preservation Board’s October 21, 2026 meeting at 3:30 pm.
Historic Seattle and community advocates urge you to join us in making your voices heard! The community has mobilized and formed a friends group called Save the Historic Doyle Building. Check out their website to learn more.
Community voices matter! Some talking points to consider:
- The project as proposed does not meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
- The project as proposed is not an addition or adaptive reuse but the demolition of most of the landmark Doyle building’s designated features.
- The project proponent provides no financials to support their claim that a more traditional approach to rehabilitating the landmark does not pencil out. The Board should ask for the numbers.
- The original upper floor windows are character-defining features of the building and should not be fully replaced.
- The project as proposed is not needed to “save” the landmark.
- Add your own thoughts on why the Doyle building matters to you and why it should be preserved, not altered drastically.
Submit written comments to the Landmarks Preservation Board by Monday, October 19, 2026, by emailing Sarah Sodt at [email protected] (Sarah is the City Historic Preservation Officer, Department of Neighborhoods).
You may also attend the hybrid Board meeting on Wednesday, October 21 at 3:30 pm via WebEx and provide verbal comments to oppose the project as presented. Here’s how to provide verbal comments. You’ll need to sign up to speak. The form to sign up will be available two hours before the 3:30 pm meeting start time. Note: You cannot sign up after 3:30 pm. You may have up to two minutes to speak, maybe as little as one minute depending on the number of people signed up to speak.
Important documents to review:
Agenda for the October 21, 2026 Board meeting
Briefing packet for the proposed project
Questions about this project? Interested in helping Historic Seattle with our advocacy efforts? Contact Eugenia Woo, Director of Preservation Services, at [email protected].
Contemporary image courtesy of Historic Seattle
Historic image courtesy of The Argus