lodge known as The Sioux, but there were no deaths in the fire. In 1937, for $9,800, the building was added to bargain real estate tycoon (and later Samis Foundation founder) Sam Israel's stock of low-maintenance properties. Like most of Israel's property, he kept the roof fixed, rented the retail space for cheap, and left the upper floors vacant. While Belltown began to flourish as an artists' community in the 1970s, the Bell building continued to deteriorate. Despite the shape it was in, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and became a City of Seattle Landmark on October 23, 1978. The Bell Building today In 1982, the upper floors were ravaged by a fire, destroying much of what was left of the interior. Developers Cassimar US Inc. and Murray Franklyn Co., working jointly as Austin A. Bell Associates L.L.C., bought the gutted and boarded up building and an adjoining parking area from the Samis Foundation in 1997 for $1 million. Under the supervision of architect Chris Snell, all but the facade and the south wall of the building was demolished and a new 52-unit condominium structure with underground parking and of retail space was built in its shell while a new connecting building sympathetic in design to its neighbors was built on the parking lot. The 6 million dollar project was completed by the Spring of 1998. One of the first retail tenants was the fifth installment of Starbucks Coffee's short-lived concept restaurant, Cafe Starbucks. A regular Starbucks Coffee store currently occupies the entire first floor retail space. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Seattle List of landmarks in Seattle References Further reading External links Image of Austin A. Bell ca. 1885 – Museum of History and Industry Image of Elmer Fisher's original design for the Bell Building – University of Washington special collections Image of Belltown c. 1898 showing the Bell Building in background – University of Washington special collections Image of Austin A. Bell Building on May 27, 1942 – Museum of History and Industry Commercial buildings completed in 1889 1880s architecture in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Seattle Residential buildings in Seattle Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) Apartment buildings in Washington (state) Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) Belltown, Seattle