Extensive Updates to 25-Story Class-A Commercial Office Building Include Reimagined Ground Plane and Thoughtfully Redesigned Lobby as Building Becomes One of Bellevue’s First All-Electric Office Towers
Remodel Includes New Space for Café Hagen’s First Bellevue Café & Bar; Serving Scandinavian-inspired food and Beverages from Breakfast Through Happy Hour
Bellevue, Wash. – September 19, 2024 –Sterling Realty Organization (www.SterlingRealty.com) ‘SRO’, a fifth-generation real estate corporation with commercial assets in the Puget Sound and Salt Lake City markets, today announced that its 55,000-square-foot renovation of the ground level of its 25-story Symetra Center at 777 108th Avenue NE office tower in downtown Bellevue is complete.
Extensive enhancements to the 450,000-square-foot Class-A office building include renovating and amenitizing the interior lobby, reskinning and reglazing the first-floor exterior, fully refinishing the building’s outdoor plazas, and building out a 2,675-square-foot state-of-the-art restaurant for new tenant Café Hagen.
“SRO’s goal was to differentiate Symetra Center at 777 108th from other properties and make it one of the most desirable office buildings in downtown Bellevue and beyond. The broad extent of the renovation is commensurate with our aim to create a modern, appealing environment that will attract and retain top-tier tenants.,” stated SRO Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Whit Hamlin.
SRO has owned the land under Symetra Center at 777 108th since 1954 and purchased the building in 2016. Developed by Wright Runstad in 1986, the building was originally named Rainier Plaza.
Café Hagen: An Oasis of Scandinavian Coziness
As part of the renovation, SRO is also pleased to welcome Scandinavian-inspired all-day café and bar Café Hagen to the newly-reimagined first floor, where the entire community will be welcome to enjoy freshly prepared meals and beverages from breakfast to happy hour.
Café Hagen brings Copenhagen’s casual yet refined warmth to Seattle. Guests can indulge in items such as fresh pastries and handcrafted croissant sandwiches for breakfast, and Nordic-inspired dishes for lunch and happy hour such as Café Hagen’s contemporary take on Scandinavian meatballs, waygu beef or premium sausages served on specialty bread crafted in-house. Distinctive beverages include specialty coffees roasted in-house and a variety of handcrafted cocktails.
Designed through a collaboration between SRO, interior architect Grayscale Design Studio and Café Hagen, the new venue boasts carefully chosen design elements including a harmonious blend of wood, metals and natural stone, custom lighting, and soft furniture elements—resulting in a minimalistic yet elegant and timeless feel.
Now officially open for all guests, Cafe Hagen’s new 777 108th location hours are daily from 7:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
“As a locally-owned business with a sophisticated and refined Northern European approach to its menu, design, and placemaking elements – including plant life, natural materials, and mood-setting music – Café Hagen was a natural fit for this space,” said Hamlin.
“We’re thrilled to open our first Bellevue location and our first all-day dining café and bar at 777 108th and can’t wait to host guests for working, socializing, or relaxing while sharing our passion for hygge: the cozy contentment and well-being of enjoying the simple things in life,” said Café Hagen Owner and Founder Maria Beck.
Incorporating Hospitality in Design to Attract Today’s Tenants
To appeal to today’s workforce, the thoughtfully renovated 22,500-square-foot interior draws design cues from the hospitality industry. Adorned with luxurious, natural materials, the open lobby features a series of “living rooms” with a variety of comfortable, flexible seating areas for meeting, working, or relaxing, and carved-out booths that provide more private settings.
Transparent floor-to-ceiling windows line the lobby’s exterior, offering views of the street and providing abundant natural light that seamlessly blends the indoors with the outdoors.
Sophisticated and well-appointed materials and finishes are also featured throughout including, Turkish marble, solid nickel and steel paneling, custom-designed area rugs, custom-lighting with a variety of blown glass light fixtures, custom-fabricated furnishings from interior architecture and design firm Grayscale Design Studio, oak flooring, oak veneers, abundant plants and greenery, and 100-inch screens for displaying video or digital art.
“There is a major shakeout occurring in the office market. Research has shown that highly amenitized buildings, particularly those that offer enhanced indoor and outdoor gathering spaces and prioritize wellness, outperform their competitors,” said Hamlin. “By taking a hospitality-centric and amenity-focused approach to all the common areas, we’ve created a place where tenants and guests want to be.”
From reusing existing materials to prioritizing sustainability and maintaining a low carbon footprint, the thoughtful design also features the reuse of the property’s beloved oak tree, which outgrew its home on the building’s elevated plaza. After carefully removing the tree, a 16-foot portion of its main trunk was milled into slices, kiln-dried, and refinished. It now enjoys a new life as a fin wall in the lobby’s new library.
Additional amenities on the building’s ground floor include a fitness area, a conference room accommodating up to 60 people, a board room, a library, capacity for future security turnstiles, new stairway access to the parking garage, and a full-service, all-electric kitchen.
Rejuvenating the Exterior Ground Plane: Fully-Refinished Plazas, Arcades, and Entries
As part of the building’s extensive renovations, SRO engaged architecture firm CollinsWoerman to reclad and reglaze the building’s ground-level podium, improving envelope performance and appearance. New features at lobby entrances include energy-conserving vestibules, weather-protecting canopy, signage, and lighting.
Landscape architecture firm Fora Landscape Architects reimagined the 30,000-square-foot exterior of the property—with fully-refinished outdoor plazas, including courtyard seating designed to allow for better use of the extensive and varied outdoor spaces in all types of weather. Notable elements for both projects include:
Cultivating a Legacy of Enduring Impact and Meaningful Progress Through Sustainable Practices
As part of the renovation, SRO committed to a model of sustainable renovation practices to create minimal waste and impact on landfills through a robust demolition recycling and reuse program, that thoughtfully repurposed existing materials when possible. From repurposing granite and glass to donating items to nonprofits, every effort was made to reduce environmental impact.
Additional sustainable improvements include becoming one of the first fully electric Class-A office buildings in Bellevue, excluding emergency generator equipment, and upgrading the first-floor envelope to meet the new energy code. The project team is pursuing U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification for the building.
Savvy and Experienced Project Team
A team of savvy, industry-leading experts was handpicked by SRO to bring the best possible updates to fruition at 777 108th. Team members include Turner Construction Company (General Contractor), CollinsWoerman (Exterior Architect), Grayscale Design Studio (Interior Architect), Fora Landscape (Landscape Designer), Westlake Consulting Group (Construction Management), Real Retail (Retail Leasing), and Broderick Group (Office Leasing).
“We’re grateful not only for the work of project team members we interacted directly with, but also deeply appreciative of those who labored day and night to create something beautiful,” continued Hamlin. “On a project of this magnitude, the hardest work is performed by the skilled tradespeople. None of this happens without their contributions.”
More than two dozen tenants, including Symetra and HNTB, currently reside at Symetra Center. For new office leasing opportunities, interested parties can contact Grant Yerke or Matt Schreck at the Broderick Group (yerke@broderickgroup.com, schreck@broderickgroup.com, 425.646.5264).
About Sterling Realty Organization
Established in 1911, Sterling Realty Organization (SRO), is a real estate corporation holding commercial assets and land in the Puget Sound and Salt Lake City markets.
