Morrison Hotel Rehabilitation

Morrison Hotel

DESC is seeking funding from the City of Seattle Office of Housing to rehab The Morrison, a permanent supportive housing building at 509 3rd Ave Seattle, WA 98104.  

For over thirty years, the Morrison has been a place of stability, support, and opportunity for people who have experienced long periods without housing. The building includes 190 permanent supportive housing apartments designed for single adults living with significant health challenges who benefit from stable housing and supportive services.

Background:

The Morrison, located at the corner of 3rd Avenue and Yesler, is a mixed-used property owned and operated by DESC since 2001. DESC acquired the building from the Seattle Housing Authority following a neighborhood process focused on safety and community input. At the time of acquisition, DESC secured funding to renovate the building, creating 190 permanent supportive housing units, a shelter serving 220 guests nightly, a day center connecting people experiencing homelessness with services, and DESC’s administrative offices. 

Because the building was already home to the shelter and residents, the renovation took place while fully occupied. The shelter continued to operate throughout the two-year construction period and remained in operation until 2020, when it closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Rehabilitation:

After more than two decades of continuous use, some major building systems have aged and experienced significant issues, some of which were not replaced in the initial renovation due to budget limits. If successful with our funding application, DESC will use resources to address a limited scope of critical repairs in the Morrison permanent supportive housing. The rehabilitation will focus on essential building systems that improve comfort, safety, and long-term sustainability, including: 

  • Plumbing upgrades: Replacement of supply and return lines and installation of individual shut-off valves in all 190 units. 
  • Energy-efficient windows: Replacement of outdated single-pane glass. 
  • Mechanical system replacement: Transition from gas-fired to electric heating and cooling for lower emissions and improved efficiency. 

These improvements will maintain a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment for the 190 permanent supportive housing units, which are an essential part of DESC’s service to extremely low-income adults with long histories of homelessness and chronic behavioral health and co-occurring disorders. 

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