Victory at the U.

Project brief

Victory at the U was designed as a 21-story student housing tower at 700 NE 45th Street in Seattle's University District. It would stand on a 0.33-acre corner lot at Seventh Avenue NE, just east of Interstate 5 and within half a mile of the University of Washington campus. The permitted plan called for 110 apartments with 516 beds, about 4,188 square feet of office space and 15 parking stalls. Champion Real Estate Company is the developer, and Weber Thompson designed the tower.

The tower became possible after the 2017 University District rezone, which reintroduced towers to the area. The developer chose to pay into the city's affordable housing fund instead of including affordable units on site. Plans called for furnished, individually leased bedrooms in a mix of townhomes and four-bedroom apartments. Shared spaces were to include a study center, a fitness center, a recreation room and a rooftop deck with views toward Lake Union. The design targeted LEED Gold. The master use permit was approved on November 22, 2021, but the tower was not built. Champion later explored a smaller eight-story scheme, and the entitled site was put up for sale.

In 2021 BOGZA produced exterior renderings and a film for the project, working with Ryan Companies US. The visuals include a daytime view of the tower rising among the University District's high-rises above the freeway.