The Quinn

Playing a role in the renaissance

The Quinn’s renovation transformed what was a tired and drab 3-story building in downtown Vancouver into a fresh and modern storefront symbolic of the area’s revival. SEA worked closely with Cascadia Development Partners to navigate this complex remodel and bring to fruition a desired space for office and retail tenants. A neutral palette, exposed materials, and creatively-incorporated pieces from the building’s history serve in making a design not just for the moment, but for the new era.

Client
Cascadia Development Partners

Location
Vancouver, WA

Size
40,000 sf

Year
2020

Dynamic Events office conference room with custom red felt wall accent — Dynamic Events Headquarters

Transforming the old building into The Quinn was substantial and involved gutting the building down to its concrete shell and exposing the steel and wood structure within the tenant spaces. SEA’s design enlarged the windows to allow more natural light and ventilation into office spaces and the building was wrapped with a new clean, efficient exterior skin.

The Quinn to have a simple, concise entry lobby, clear circulation to all floors, and abundant daylighting on all levels. SEA used a neutral material palette with punched-up vibrant color accents. Natural daylighting on three sides of the building gives the interior ample ambient light and great views of the neighborhood all around.

Entry to Clash Beauty Collective tenant improvement — Clash Beauty Collective

historic black and white photo of original JC Penney's department store — The building's history inspired many design choices. One prominent example is The Quinn's blade sign which takes cues from the building's first tenant, JC Penney’s.

The building’s original use was as a JC Penney’s department store with ground-floor retail windows and furniture showrooms above. The new vision aimed to create a multi-tenant office building with ground-floor retail to support the newly revitalized downtown core.

Before image of building. Black glass exterior. — Before

Exterior of the Quinn — The reinvented building gives people a strong visual connection back out to the street and restores a larger sense of connection to the neighborhood.

On the exterior, the team created two separate and defined entrances – one for retail and one for office users. A new entrance was also added at the back of the property for access to the adjacent city parking lot. The white stucco façade and wood accents provide a clean, contemporary palette while adding a layer of inviting warmth.