Holland Partner Group gave Fremonsters their first detailed look at the building planned for the Ballroom block Tuesday night, presenting designs for a seven-story, 178-unit mixed-use project at 452 N 36th St.
The presentation at the Fremont Neighborhood Council’s May meeting covered everything from unit counts to tile colors, and drew pointed questions from neighbors about construction impacts, retail vacancy, and what kinds of businesses might fill the ground floor.
The building, designed by Seattle firm Weber Thompson, will include five studios, 66 open one-bedrooms (units with a defined sleeping area but no fully enclosed bedroom wall), 78 one-bedrooms and 29 two-bedrooms, with an average unit size of 649 square feet. Approximately 40 units will be affordable. The project includes 5,700 square feet of street-level retail along N 36th St., 90 vehicle parking stalls and 189 bicycle parking stalls.
Cole Verner, development director for Holland Partner Group, a Northwest-based developer, said the team deliberately included larger units than many new Seattle buildings to attract families, and chose to incorporate retail space even though it is not required on the site.
Austin Besse, senior associate at Weber Thompson, said the firm’s office is in Fremont, and the team spent a lot of time studying the neighborhood’s mix of small storefronts, public art and walkable streets before starting the design. The building is split into two sections facing 36th, separated by a courtyard. At street level, the facade steps back from the sidewalk in several spots to make room for outdoor cafe tables and seating.
One detail that got the biggest reaction: the team worked with the previous property owner to save the Ballroom’s (and later Baila Bar) dancing couple sign. It will be mounted at the top of the structure, visible from either direction on 36th, incorporated into a two-story glass-walled rooftop amenity space the architects have nicknamed the “Disco Cube.”
On the east facade, the building will feature a large street-facing mural. Besse asked attendees what themes they would like to see, and suggestions ranged from Duwamish tribal art and nature scenes to Solstice imagery, the Fremont Troll and, repeatedly, a public restroom.
Neighbors also weighed in on what retail they want to see in the building, which can accommodate up to five separate storefronts or be combined into fewer, larger spaces. The most popular response on a live poll was a pharmacy. Verner said the input will directly inform their retail broker outreach, pointing to a recent success: at Holland’s Ballard project, community feedback led them to recruit Exit 5 Korean Barbecue, opening this August.
Verner also said the team would love to bring Caffe Ladro back to the block. Ladro is already a tenant in Holland’s Ballard building, and Verner said they’ll work to recruit them for this project as well.
Several attendees raised concerns about construction parking in an already tight neighborhood. Verner said the company, which serves as its own general contractor, will implement off-site parking, carpooling and shuttle programs for workers, and committed to following up with more specifics.
Utility work and demolition are scheduled now through August, with construction running from September 2026 through April 2028. Neighbors can reach the development team at Fremont@hollandpartnergroup.com. The presentation can also be viewed on the Fremont Neighborhood Council’s Facebook page.
5 responses to “Ballroom Block takes shape: Holland Partner Group shares design with Fremont”
We absolutely need more housing in Seattle, so projects like this are a great step toward adapting to a growing population and building a denser, more walkable city. From a site urbanism perspective, I actually think there are some really promising ideas here if they can pull them off.
Breaking the facade into smaller storefronts makes the project feel much more approachable and better aligned with Fremont’s character. The emphasis on a smaller-scale streetscape rhythm feels directionally right and helps avoid the feeling of one massive blank development wall.
I do think they could push the “two-building” seperated by the courtyard idea further too. Different colors or stronger visual separation could help it read as two distinct buildings instead of one large block. Scale really matters in Fremont, and little moves like that can make dense housing feel much more neighborhood-friendly.
I really hope they actually do keep the Ballroom neon sign too, but bringing it down to street level would make it something people can actually interact with and enjoy as part of the public realm instead of just seeing from a distance on top of the building. Give us the art public we’ve already had, and give us the history on a plaque.
One thing I always wish more buildings would experiment with, even though I know they probably never will, is making rooftops public. Imagine if some of these rooftop decks functioned more like elevated public parks with their own stair/elevator access. It would create actual shared civic space instead of private amenity space floating above the neighborhood.
Also, only using like 1/4 of the roof as deck space feels like a missed opportunity.
Go ahead and hire me Weber Thompson.
Great feedback, Cory! I’d encourage you to also send it to fremont@hollandpartnergroup.com
There looks to be a lot of gestures being made by the developer – voluntarily AND in response to neighbor input – to have this project reflect some Fremont character! Good to see! Neighbors make a difference! 🙂
I think the developer and the architect have been very thoughtful and respectful of the neighborhood and it is great to see, very refreshing! I look forward to watching this project as it progresses.
I respect the developer for having some sort of clue about the neighborhood vibe even though I am still personally opposed to the new 7 story developments and how they will change the feel overall. But I do appreciate the consideration of allowing the community to have some imput. Too bad the Prometheus Group is not as invested in at least trying to keep some of the neighborhood feel and flow further up 36th