WHY WE STAYED: 20 Stories of Stories

Places That Matter

Jul 9

(Preview)

Written by Edward Krigsman

A sofa makes its way into the Watermark the unconventional way, before elevator changes made moving large furniture easier. — Photo: Linda Mitchell

The Watermark has been standing on Spring Street for more than four decades, but its story begins long before the tower itself.

There are older walls folded into the building, traces of another Seattle at street level, memories of a changing waterfront, families who raised children here, neighbors who became friends, and residents who have watched the city transform from the same windows year after year.

As we’ve listened to their stories, the building has begun to reveal itself in layers. The stories range from the civic to the wonderfully domestic—including one that arrived by hoist.

A few voices from the forthcoming story:

Pam Schell remembered Cornerstone opening a piece of First Avenue that would “attract people to live downtown.” The Schells then chose the Watermark as their own home. “We loved the view of the harbor,” she recalled.
— Pam Schell, who lived at the Watermark with her husband, developer and future Seattle mayor Paul Schell, from 1982 to 2013

Nasreen has lived at the Watermark for nearly forty years; her daughter grew up there, and her perfumery was just a half-block away.

“I wake up in the morning and I see the Olympic Mountains. I see the cruise ships coming in. It is my home. Every day is memorable.”

Asked whether she could imagine leaving, she said simply: “I hope not. This is my home. I love it.”
— Nasreen Rehmat, resident since 1986

“I wish I had a time lapse video of the changes that took place downtown over the years.” From the Watermark, Chris watched towers rise, the viaduct disappear, and the waterfront open up.
— Chris Sortum, resident since 1999

“We’ve got a ton of friends here in the building. We share cocktails and meals, and we run up and down the elevators in our slippers. It’s a vertical neighborhood.

There are so many people who contribute, and one of the delights is that people stay here. They move in and they stay. It’s really lovely to see people in the elevators and hallways, acknowledge one another, and know how they’re doing.

I went to a party and I knew everybody by name. There is a sense of camaraderie in this building that I don’t know that I have seen as much in the past. It really is a group of people who love to be together.”
— Sally Bagshaw, resident since 2013

Joel remembers his daughter Ava growing up as one of “the Watermark kids.” “It was their community,” he said. “She knew everybody.” He compared it, affectionately, to Madeline growing up in a high-rise.
— Joel Janssen, Watermark resident manager since 2010

The full story is coming soon.

Why We Stayed: 20 Stories of Stories will follow those layers from the ground beneath Spring Street to the Watermark rooftop—through architecture, buried history, changing waterfronts, children growing up, neighbors becoming friends and the stories that accumulate when people stay.