Treasured dance hall sold; some anxious about next step

Al Gore spoke there. And scenes from the Disney movie "10 Things I Hate About You" were filmed there. Not to mention the hundreds of weddings, dances and friendships that have happened there.

But now Capitol Hill's Odd Fellows Hall — a building with a long arts legacy — has been sold. And tenants are worried. "It's a vibrant, vibrant building," said Kara O'Toole, the executive director of Velocity Dance Center, which has been located in the building for 11 years. "It's not about the square footage, it's about the energy and character."

On any given night, one can find East Coast swing classes, modern dance set to beatboxing, mime tutorials or a ballet class accompanied by a cellist.

O'Toole, like many of the tenants, is responding to the sale with trepidation, worried that a new landlord will change the building's purpose. Tenants have not been assured they can stay, and the sale-and-demolition clause — which means the building can be torn down if the new owner desires — has been invoked.

Outside Velocity's wall, a sign calms customers, saying in capital letters that the studio is not closed.

"We're kind of in a stressful holding pattern, but we do want people to know about it, because we know a lot of folks care about this building as an arts center and would love to see it stabilized somehow," O'Toole said.

The hall, at 915 E. Pine St., has hosted arts events for longer than most of its current tenants can remember. Along with Velocity, the four-story brick building houses Century Ballroom and Freehold Theatre. It is also home to many niche art collectives and stores, like Reel Grrls, which holds filmmaking workshops for young girls, and Beyond Running, which features sport clinics and massages.

This week, the tenants received a letter about the sale from their new management, Redside Partners LLC. The sale is due to close in early January.

The memo said: "Our intent is to update the building systems while retaining and/or restoring much of the original charm the Odd Fellows intended almost 100 years ago. Significant changes in layout are planned for the retail and office (top floor) levels of the building. While many of these projects may be inconvenient for you, we will make every effort possible to minimize these inconveniences."

Online, the firm says its properties, located in Ballard, Greenwood, Capitol Hill, Fremont and Queen Anne, "consistently outperform market indices based on revenue and vacancy rates."

The new owner is Ted Schroth, who — according to an earlier Seattle Times story by freelancer Diana Wurn — started his career remodeling older houses on Queen Anne Hill. Recently, he bought an old warehouse at 12th Avenue and East Madison Street and developed it into a condominium-and-retail complex called Trace Lofts.

Schroth refurbished the building, retaining many of its original elements. At the time, he told Wurn it would have been cheaper to tear it down, but "saving the building was the right thing to do."

Trace Lofts is just a few blocks from the Odd Fellows Hall, in the rapidly changing neighborhood between Seattle University and the Pike/Pine corridor. Chic restaurants such as Café Presse and Lark and new retail outlets have turned this once-dowdy area into a yuppie magnet.

The new and old owners did not return calls. O'Toole said original owner Paul Verba said that he had "the best intentions with the sale, hoped it would only improve the building, but was ready to move on."

The building is close to 100 years old. There are holes that heels fall into, creaky stairs and dark stains on the wood flooring, worn from constant dancing.

"Obviously the building could absolutely use some tender care and upkeep," said Hallie Kuperman, owner of the Century Ballroom. She renovated the once graffiti-stained room, turning it into a plush maroon-and-gold classic dance hall. But she worries that this deal could scale rent to "fair market prices," forcing some tenants out.

Right now, the building leases for about $9 to $13 a square foot, said Freehold Theatre's artistic director and founder, Robin Lynn Smith, but she said a real-estate agent estimated that this could triple to match the current market.

"We are well aware there's a crisis of affordable space for artists, particularly for small and midsize organizations — that is at the heart of what the Odd Fellows building provides to our community," said Michael Killoren, executive director of the city of Seattle's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.

He added that the city has always valued the role of arts and culture and has commissioned studies on finding art space, starting with areas such as South Lake Union, and looking at solutions like renovating parks and former schools into art spaces.

In the meantime, many tenants are ready, already brainstorming sandwich boards for a possible protest, proposals they could bring to the new owner, and new locations.

And the dancers and artists are making the most of the time there.

"This place was made for dancing," said Michael Regan, who has been dancing at Century since the ballroom opened. "It would be quite a loss."

Marian Liu: 206-464-3825 or mliu@seattletimes.com.