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Seattle, Wash., April 4th, 2017 – Pratt Fine Arts Center (www.pratt.org), a nonprofit serving nearly 4,000 students and 300 working artists annually, announced today its campus expansion plan, aimed at serving Seattle’s creative community for decades to come.
 

Since its inception 40 years ago, Pratt Fine Arts Center has proven itself to be a vital part of the Central Area neighborhood and the City of Seattle. Named as a lasting tribute to civil rights leader Edwin T. Pratt, the organization honors his memory by continuing to pursue its mission of making art education accessible to people of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds.
 

A revamped programming model at Pratt Fine Arts Center produced historic growth over the last four years, including record-high student enrollment and studio access for independent artists. Pratt’s long-term plan seeks to leverage these results, further expanding its programs and reinforcing its long-term sustainability. A key component of Pratt’s growth strategy, the campus expansion was approved by its Board of Trustees, who also selected Seattle-based Daniels Real Estate to lead its development while helping to pay for it by purchasing a portion of the block.
 

Pratt Fine Art Center’s overall campus expansion plan welcomes a strong connection to its two existing buildings which will remain in operation, currently housing 19,000 sq. feet of studio space in and around Pratt Park. Several programs will shift and stretch out within these buildings, particularly glassblowing which will double in capacity. Other programs will welcome new spaces as part of the expansion which will extend the campus across three quarters of the block between South Jackson and South Main Street, and 19th and 20th Avenues South.
 

The expansion will feature new instructional studio space for Pratt surrounding an outdoor public courtyard, including 14,000 sq. feet for drawing and painting, printmaking, letterpress and book arts, and youth arts programming, as well as a new reception area and offices. The expansion also accommodates a new community art gallery on Jackson Street.
 

“Pratt has quietly secured approximately 70% of its capital goal to support the expansion and will continue securing the remaining funds through grants and individual donations."
 

The new arts facilities will serve as the anchor for a 6-story mixed-use development with approximately 150 apartment units, 100 underground parking stalls and an estimated 10,000 sq. ft. of retail along South Jackson Street.
 

Daniels Real Estate will own and manage the mixed-use residential development while Pratt Fine Arts Center will own and manage its campus facilities. Daniels Real Estate will serve as the project manager for the full block development, saving Pratt significant resources and bringing a cohesive civic vison to the project.
 

“In order to achieve Pratt’s long term vision, we have worked tirelessly to find the best way to accommodate Pratt’s growing need for additional facilities to better serve art students and independent artists. This multifaceted development will expand our capacity, unlock new potential, strengthen the connections to our neighborhood, and ensure that creativity thrives in a dynamic urban campus for many years to come” said Pratt Executive Director Steve Galatro.
 

“This year, Pratt Fine Arts Center celebrates their 40th Anniversary. Helping them to stay in the Central Area and expand their campus for the next 40-years is an honor,” said Kevin Daniels, President of Daniels Real Estate. “Pratt is a true community asset and this expansion helps to secure their tenure for many years to come.”
 

In addition to Daniels Real Estate, Seattle-based GRAHAM BABA ARCHITECTS and the landscape architecture firm of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol were chosen to help plan, design, and realize the vision to ensure that Pratt remains, first and foremost, a place for art.
 

“In 2013, Pratt Fine Arts issued an open RFP for the project to solicit a range of proposals for consideration. Daniels Real Estate assembled a Class A+ project team with local firms that have national and international portfolios in place-making of commercial, residential, and cultural spaces,” added Galatro. “We are very excited to be moving forward with this incredible team.”
 

The project is still in the early design phase and is not anticipated to break ground until Spring 2018.
 

About Pratt Fine Arts

Founded in 1976 to provide high-quality visual arts education, Pratt serves as a lasting tribute to Edwin T. Pratt, who relentlessly championed open and equal access to educational and housing opportunities for all Seattle residents. Pratt honors his memory by making art education accessible for people of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels. Pratt Fine Arts Center is the only facility in the Northwest where absolute

beginners and established professional artists work side-by-side creating art in glass, sculpture, jewelry and metalsmithing, painting, drawing and printmaking. Pratt provides affordable studios with unparalleled state-of-the-art equipment and professional artist instruction to create an environment where students learn, experiment, and create.
 

About Daniels Real Estate

Daniels Real Estate LLC is a Seattle-based company formed to develop complex and challenging dense urban real estate projects that help to provide placemaking qualities for the neighborhood in which they are located. Combining community participation, advance sustainable practices, complex urban planning, great architectural design and historic preservation, Daniels Real Estate has earned a reputation as a leader in the Greater Seattle development community. www.danielsre.com
 

About Graham Baba Architects

GRAHAM BABA ARCHITECTS is a Seattle-based architecture firm recognized for successful place-making. Whether enlivening an urban community or creating a quiet refuge, the firm strives to design venues that resonate with memory and a sense of discovery. Among the firm’s notable community-centered projects are 325 Westlake/MadArt (a mixed-use building featuring an art-making studio and housing); Melrose Market (a thriving neighborhood market hall); Pybus Market in Wenatchee, Washington (a destination regional public market); and Chophouse Row (a courtyard-focused, mixed-use building that knits together a neighborhood). Work in progress includes the studio for artist Lino Tagliapietra in Seattle and the Kenmore Community Building in Kenmore, Washington. www.grahambabaarchitects.com
 

About Gustafson Guthrie Nichol

Gustafson Guthrie Nichol (GGN) is a landscape architecture firm based in Seattle, Washington. Recent and current work includes the National Museum of African American History and Culture, CityCenterDC, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Campus, and Seattle's Pike-Pine Renaissance Streetscape Design Vision. GGN was the recipient of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Landscape Architecture in 2011. The firm’s project awards include ASLA National Awards of Excellence, ASLA and AIA Honor Awards for Design, Tucker Design Awards, and Great Places Awards from the Environmental Design Research Association. For more information about Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, please visit www.ggnltd.com.

This press release was published in the Puget Sound Business Journal on April 4. Read the story here.