SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
What are they building at first Red Robin site?
Apr 16, 2015, 10:22 PM | Updated: May 8, 2016, 10:24 pm
Once the home of the first-ever Red Robin, the steep slope near Seattle’s University Bridge will host a new apartment building.
Plans for the building at show plans for 63 apartment units in 2,060 square feet of space. There will be 25 parking stalls below grade and space for 70 bikes.
Find out what else they’re building
Living space will include one- and two-bedroom units and studios. Plans call for street-level commercial space.
Because of the site’s dramatic slope and height restrictions, the units could be split among two buildings; one lower and one higher.
“The proposed structures will remember the Red Robin and seek to provide new life to such a high-profile site,” according to the design application.
The site has views of Portage Bay and the University Bridge to the north and east, and sits above a small community of house boats.
The site is served by several bus lines that connect to downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill, the U-District, Laurelhurst, and Northgate.
The only remains of the former Red Robin is its graffiti-covered foundation.
Red Robin opened in the 1940s as a tavern. The first franchise was opened in Spokane, followed by hundreds more across the country.
The company’s decision to close the first location in 2010 was driven by the need for “considerable investment” to maintain the building, according to its owners.