Proposal document from architect GGLO: https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/Neighborhoods/HistoricPreservation/Landmarks/2026/LPB011626SeattleBrewMaltBP.pdf
Original article link: https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2026/01/14/rainier-brewing-malt-house-georgetown-apartments.html
Original article (if the archive link doesn’t work for you):
Original Rainier Brewery complex targeted for residential development
By Rob Smith – Contributing writer
Jan 14, 2026
Story Highlights:
- GGLO Architects proposes converting Georgetown’s historic Malt House into apartments.
- The 72,466-square-foot project includes around two dozen one-bedroom and studio units.
- Seattle City Council must approve the former brewery redevelopment plan.
What was once part of the largest brewery west of the Mississippi could become a residential development.
GGLO Architects will present a proposal to the city of Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board on Jan. 16 to renovate the former Malt House in the Georgetown neighborhood into apartments. Portland-based ScanlanKemperBard Cos. is the owner.
The Malt House, at 5900 Airport Way S., was the second structure constructed for the former Seattle Brewing and Malting Co. plant that opened in the late 1890s. It eventually became the Rainier Brewing Co., and the plant is now known as the Original Rainier Brewery campus. The property is just south of downtown Seattle and just north of Boeing Field between Airport Way South and the BNSF rail lines. (The former Rainier Brewery with the big “R” is 2 miles north.)
The proposal notes that Airport Way through a portion of Georgetown has become a destination for restaurants and shops but lacks residential options that “add to the livability and vibrancy” of the neighborhood.
GGLO says in its Landmarks Preservation Board packet that it is targeting preservation efforts on usable areas of the building while focusing new construction on areas that aren’t. It says it is “committed to maintaining the historic character” along Airport Way South. Seattle’s Story Box Architecture is serving as historic consultant on the project.
Two different proposals show four residential levels above a street-level commercial/retail level in the 72,466-square-foot project area. Each residential level would house about two dozen one-bedroom units, plus a handful of studio apartments. The project also has potential for a rooftop amenity that could be used as a common recreation space. The height limit is 55 feet, though a rooftop recreation area could add 15 more feet.
The area was rezoned in 2023 from industrial to neighborhood commercial, and it’s now a mixed-use zone where both residential and commercial development are allowed. The complex is currently home to Fran’s Chocolates and a handful of other small tenants.
The Seattle City Council must eventually approve the project for it to move forward.
Writing in HistoryLink.org, historian Paul Dorpat notes that the brewery site was the sixth-largest in the world and the “largest industrial establishment” in the state prior to Washington introducing prohibition in 2016.
This could be really cool. Looking at London and what they did with Battersea Power Station this could turn an old failing building into a focal point of a new development.
I sent an email to the chair of the Landmarks Preservation Board ( Erin.Doherty@seattle.gov ) who the developers were presenting to this morning. It’s a fine idea, but the neighborhood NEEDS a grocery with fresh produce. Maruta Shoten deserves credit for keeping residents fed, but the neighborhood needs more.
That’s a good callout, I’ll send something too. It has the potential for being a great spot - if it’s done well. Battersea they made into a mixed-use haven, with commercial on the ground floor and upper floors being apartments, making it a place to live, to socialize, and everything could be walkable. That could be a very easy win here. We need less mega-apartment buildings and more real-life usable neighborhoods.