By Jack Stubbs
One of Lake Union’s jewels the McHugh Building sold on Wednesday for $10.48 million, or roughly $382 per square foot, according to public records filed with King County. The buyer was Seattle-based Sugar Mountain, a company that promotes healthy and additive-free food production. The seller of the property was Johnson Barrow, a prominent HVAC organization that operates throughout the Pacific Northwest.
The sale of the building, which measures 27,404 square feet of office space, was closed on September 6th. Built in 1920 and located at 1725 Westlake Ave. N., the property is settled on nearly 15,000 square feet of land. Officially part of Seattle’s Westlake neighborhood, the property sits right on the periphery of one of Seattle’s most prominent commercial and office hubs. Perched on the western edge of Lake Union, it lies less than a mile from the predominantly tech-oriented South Lake Union neighborhood to the south.
Located in the city’s downtown core, and adjacent to Pike Place Market, Sugar Mountain is situated near the city’s major culinary center and tourist attraction. The company aims to sell and produce food that is nutritious, with limited additives and preservatives, according to its website.
The seller, Johnson Barrow, is a 50-year old leader in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems. The company represents a wide range of commercial HVAC products throughout the Pacific Northwest in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.
The three-story, nearly 100-year old McHugh Building was renovated in 1997 and is considered a B class commercial property. It is well-situated geographically, offering easy access to Interstate 5 and Highway 99. According to a report by Colliers International, some of the building’s prominent features include: 14-foot high exposed timber ceilings on the third and fourth floors, large exposed timber beams and columns and wide windows allowing prominent views of the Lake Union. Furthermore, the building is just blocks from Facebook’s corporate office in South Lake Union.
