This Seattle Starbucks Location Was Built In A Historic Car Dealership
Since opening its first storefront at Pike Place in 1971, Starbucks has become one of the most recognizable brands across the world. The company's coffee can be found in over 80 countries (via Starbucks), brewed hot by a barista or bottled in grocery stores. Starbucks has opened several locations in historic sites throughout the years, including an Amsterdam bank, Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, and a 1921 Renaissance-style building in Tianjin, China.
The first Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room opened in 2014, just a few blocks away from the original Starbucks storefront. A year later, Historic Seattle, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving they city's architecture, awarded Starbucks the 2015 Best Adaptive Reuse Award for the work done to of one of its buildings. Since then, they have opened several other roasteries around the world — including the world's largest Starbucks which is located in Chicago — but one Seattle location has its own unique history.
Preserving history while embracing the future
The building, located in Seattle's Capitol Hill, was built in 1920 as a showroom for the automotive company Packard to sell its luxury cars (via Seattle Department of Neighborhoods). After closing during the Great Depression, the building was used for a variety of other storefronts before it was purchased by Starbucks in 2012.
After buying the 15,000-square foot space, Starbucks worked to restore the brick masonry exterior, terra cotta façade, concrete flooring, and the building's large window bays (via Historic Seattle). The company also installed some newer design elements to complement the historic features, like angled wooden beams and hand-bent wooden balusters. Starbucks then added a blue mosaic tile art piece of the company's iconic siren logo.
The open floor plan features a full view of the roasting process so that patrons can see every step of how their drinks are made. At this location, Starbucks makes its small batch arabica Reserve coffee, which can only be found at roasteries and select stores.
If you're looking for a new way to experience your Starbucks coffee, stop by this unique location in Seattle.