Skanska Announces Caffe Ladro Will Open at 2+U’s Urban Village in Downtown Seattle

Developers Second Retail Lease at 2+U brings exceptional local craft coffee offering to 2+U

SEATTLE (July 22, 2019) – Skanska, a leading global development and construction firm, today announced a 1,000 square feet retail lease with Caffe Ladro. The new location is prominently situated on Second Avenue, adjacent to the 2+U lobby. Caffe Ladro amplifies the vision of 2+U’s Urban Village, which features more than 24,000 square feet of covered, open and outdoor space under the lifted 2+U office tower. 

The Seattle-based coffee institution will open a new ground-level retail store at 2+U, which is expected to open to the public in early 2020. Located strategically off the Second Avenue office lobby near University St., the new Caffe Ladro will be a full-servicecoffee bar serving Ladro’s locally-roasted, specialty coffee with fair trade, organic and micro-lot options. 

Designed by Graham Babba architects, Skanska will build out the custom tenant improvements, integrating the design with the aesthetics of the hospitality-focused building lobby. This lease marks the second time Skanska has partnered with the locally based coffee purveyor. In 2016, the developer also brought Caffe Ladro to its market hall at 400 Fairview in South Lake Union. Caffe Ladro will join Ethan Stowell’s newest Tavolàta restaurant concept, which will span 2,232 square feet of space and will include a full bar concept and dining for private parties. 

“Skanska is passionate about creating compelling retail experiences that align with what our tenants and the surrounding community desire most; in the case of Caffe Ladro, it’s craft coffee offerings and local baked goods,” said Skanska Executive Vice President Murphy McCullough. 

Caffe Ladro’s full coffee menu–including signature drinks like the Medici (mocha latte with orange zest) and Shakerato (espresso shaken over ice with turbinado sugar) will be available. The café will also offer craft pastries from its Queen Anne bakery, as well as high quality coffee related merchandise. 

“Skanska built a stunning retail experience at 400 Fairview’s Market Hall,” said Jack Kelly, Caffe Ladro CEO. “As a partner there, they proved incredibly cooperative and organized. So, we were thrilled when they invited us to 2+U. We find Skanska provides some of the most exciting environments for retail engagement. It’s guaranteed to be amazing.” 

With five access points, including the refurbished alley off University Street and two welcoming access points from First and Second Avenues, the Urban Village includes 16,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, as well as approximately 1,100 square feet of arts and cultural space named The Studio. This unique open, outdoor space will feature local art installations and event programming in The Square and will connect visitors with nature through its more than 220-foot long structural GeoWall made from local soils and The Lookout, where office tenants, shoppers and visitors can take in sweeping views of the Puget Sound. With construction nearly complete at 2+U, Skanska plans to open the Urban Village to the public in late August. 

2+U is a 686,000 square-foot office tower in the heart of downtown Seattle. Skanska engaged community stakeholders in the planning stages of the project to create a building that adds immediate value to the tenants and the surrounding community. Located at the corner of Second Avenue and University Street, the building is adjacent to Seattle Art Museum and Benaroya Hall, and just steps from the new waterfront. Through its thoughtful design, 2+U becomes a connection linking the new waterfront, Pioneer Square and surrounding downtown neighborhoods. 2+U is now 60% leased. 

Current tenants include:               

• Leading online employment search company Indeed.com (200,000 square feet)                 
• Global collaboration platform firm Dropbox, Inc. (121,000 square feet)
• Flexible workspace innovator Spaces (91,000 square feet) 

Other Skanska developments in the Seattle area include Stone34, the global headquarters for Brooks Sports, which was the first project to meet the City of Seattle’s requirements for the city’s Deep Green Pilot Program, making it one of the greenest buildings in the region. At 400 Fairview, Skanska delivered headquarters offices for Tommy Bahama, Impinj and Car Toy’s/Wireless Advocates, and assembled a Market Hall with mix of local retailers, as well as a rooftop restaurant with unparalleled views. Skanska also developed Alley 111, a 260-unit multi-family project with 6,000 square feet of retail in the community of Bellevue. 

In July 2018, Skanska purchased a land parcel located at NE 8th and 108th in the Bellevue’s downtown core, ideally located near major Bellevue employers, including Microsoft’s Bellevue Campus, Amazon, Salesforce, Paccar, Symetra, Expedia and Concur. In October 2017, Skanska also purchased the 2200 Block, a 19,440 square-foot parcel comprised of three properties on 4th Avenue in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle, which is currently being designed and entitled for a 300-unit multifamily tower.

With more than 70 years of history in the Puget Sound region, Skanska combines generations of local knowledge with the vast tools of a global development and construction firm to build what matters for local communities. Skanska’s portfolio ranges from investing its own capitol and developing award-winning sustainable real estate, like Brooks Sports’ headquarters at Stone34, to building local landmarks, such as Benaroya Hall and the Museum of Glass, major infrastructure projects like the replacement of the southern mile of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and small tenant improvements. Recognized as one of the region’s top corporate philanthropists, Skanska is also committed to creating new opportunities for local small, traditionally disadvantaged businesses. 

Skanska is one of the world’s leading construction and development companies. In the U.S., Skanska’s core operations include building construction, civil infrastructure and developing self-financed commercial properties, which together generated $8 billion in revenue in 2018. As a developer in the U.S., Skanska has invested a total of $2.3 billion in commercial and multi-family projects. With U.S. headquarters in New York City, Skanska has offices in 28 metro areas with 9,000 employees nationwide. Skanska is an industry-leading innovator in both safety and project execution, and offers competitive solutions for both traditional and complex assignments to help build a more sustainable future for our customers and communities. Global revenue of parent company Skanska AB, headquartered in Stockholm and listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, totaled approximately $20 billion in 2018. 

Caffe Ladro is a Seattle coffee company with 16 neighborhood cafes, a bakery and a roastery providing specialty coffee to its cafes, wholesale, and online customers.  Founded in 1994 and dedicated to serving great coffee, Caffe Ladro provides scratch-baked goods, thoughtfully sourced and roasted beans, and artfully brewed coffee for the greater Seattle area. CaffeLadro.com