The people behind it
David Hewitt and Val Thomas chose variety
Developer Val Thomas worked with architect David Hewitt on a building that broke away from the block-filling apartment forms common in Belltown's early-2000s construction boom. Contemporary criticism praised the project's proportions, attention to material and ability to address street corners. Instead of repeating one tower design across the block, the team used different structures and heights to respond to different edges of the site.
Why the tower sits that way
Turning the long side to the views
The taller concrete volume runs perpendicular to Western Avenue. As a contemporary architectural review explained, the move helped provide water outlooks from residences on both sides while allowing more daylight to reach the street below. Its carefully expressed frame wraps around the corners. That is a more considered response to an urban block than a maximum-width slab oriented only for the developer's floor-area target.
A surprisingly varied home mix
The loft is not the suite
The concrete wing became known for exposed columns, concrete surfaces and tall glazing, whereas the lower wood-frame wing provides a different, more conventional residential vocabulary. Some original homes were conceived with live/work flexibility. Those distinctions have practical consequences: the location of structural elements, room divisions, natural light and potential workspace may vary dramatically. Never judge a Klee home by photographs or square footage from the other wing.
The building's first life
It started as apartments, not condominiums
The project opened around 2001 as Klee Lofts & Studios, and later building histories describe a conversion to condominium ownership in 2003. The name and the artistic references stayed, but ownership changed the due-diligence questions. With any converted building, it is useful to understand the association's formation, what building systems are shared, how expenses are allocated and which renovations occurred after the original rental period.
A glass connection
Where the two buildings meet
The transparent Western Avenue lobby links the two wings and opens toward a shared courtyard. That transition from a busy Belltown street into a more sheltered common space is a quiet but meaningful part of the design. The complex has historically offered resident gathering, work and fitness areas, but today's access and reservations should be verified. This is a building where seeing the circulation and courtyard in person is as important as viewing the residence.
An artistic address
The Klee name is an invitation to look closer
Named for Swiss-born painter Paul Klee, the community leans into a creative identity without needing to pretend it is a museum. Its architectural interest lies in alternating massing, textured façades, glass connections and concrete loft interiors. More recent design work has addressed common areas, showing how a building can be updated without erasing its original visual language. Ask which work was completed, when, and how it was funded rather than assuming every historical proposal became a finished improvement.
