Under amenities: "Our onsite fitness center will keep you fashionably thin."
So I guess they don't want any fat people in there?
J-Dog
· 3 years ago
Just looking at it gives me Vertigo!
Lisa
· 3 years ago
Not only the colors are bad, the actual paint job is terrible. There is smeared teal on the white areas, paint sploches on the railings and it looks like water drips on the tacky paint. I can't believe someone is going to pay $400,000 to live there (and someone will!).
And I miss that great tree.
Celeste Tanner
· 3 years ago
Hi:
I'm a former tenant in that building, and my partner was the person who asked why you were taking the photos. We completely agree with your assessment. The inside of the place was a little wacky looking, but the exterior is now a complete eyesore.
I'd ask what the developer - The Gintz Group, of Tacoma - was thinking, but I already know the answer has dollar signs in it. Clearly, they have a really different idea of the "Seattle sensibility" than most of the people I've met here.
Unfortunately, it's going to be even uglier for the buyer when they start having problems with the very slapdash "quickie" conversion. The day I finished moving out, they'd just spray painted silver over the brass doorknobs - they're not even buying new locks. They need to look carefully for the mould and water leakage problems that have been painted over and perhaps look for the cracks in the back units of the building from earthquake damage that is being covered up, but not really repaired.
Tammy
· 3 years ago
I looked at an apartment on the 3rd floor there once. Unless they plan to do some major remodeling the floor plans are misleading - see the actual unit before buying if you're silly enough to consider it. The one I looked at you'd have to be a size 0 to be comfortable in the "kitchen" area in the unit I looked at. It was about two and a half feet wide - I kid you not!
Honest to goodness though - given how poorly they've treated the tennants there I can't imagine wanting to do business with these people...
I just went through the open house. I think it is too bad that they didn't spend more time and money because really tht building has tons of potential and -- if don't correctly --could be a very cool mid-century modern condo. Some of the units are really nice, too, in terms of floorplans, views, etc. Clearly the developer tried to get that mid-century chic thing going, but they just didn't have the aesthetic down correctly (hence the crazy paint on the exterior!). They put down new wood, bamboo and tile flooring, and the kitchens have the standard wood cabinets and granite counters...but they did not replace any windows, doors, etc. and some of that stuff looks really old. That would be ok, but it should be priced accordingly. What the person who commented said about the developing hiding leak problems and earthquake damage is scary, though!
Randy
· 3 years ago
When I saw the Vertigo I could not believe how ugly and cheap the building looked. I was shocked. So shocked I decided to do some research to figure out what the deal was. A quick search of David Gintz (CEO) of the Gintz Group explains why this building is so ugly. Based on my search it looks like he is not a developer and is not from Seattle. Several articles have been printed regarding foreclosure mortgage scams and his involvement. Here's the articles I found http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/285940_mort... Lori Matsukawa of King 5 News did a special story as well that mentioned David Gintz and his involvement in these mortgage scams.
In my opinion, you'd be crazy to buy a condo in that building, especially from that group led by that guy.
DzinR
· 3 years ago
I haven't seen the condo in person, but the marketing -- print materials and website kick ass.
artsypoopsy
· 3 years ago
The condo takes risks stylistically and definitely won't blend in. I wish the style of the interiors would have been better translated to the exterior, but whatever.
Felix
· 3 years ago
Randy, just because a person's name is mentioned in an article doesn't mean they are guilty. Whether or not Gintz is a scam artist can not be deduced from your linked article.
Felix
· 3 years ago
and no, I'm not a Gintz-head.
mattgoyer
· 3 years ago
FYI, those last four comments are all from the same IP address and have fishy e-mail addresses so I'm skeptical that Dinzr/artsypoopsy/Felix isn't a 'Gintz-head' or associated with their marketing/sales department :).
carl
· 3 years ago
From the pictures I've seen the colors are atrocious and I can certainly understand why current tennants are upset. I'll probably head over there this weekend to take a look at what all the hubbub is about -- maybe snap a few shots myself. I think the marketing is pretty sharp though.
Ethan John
· 3 years ago
Matt, just wanted to say thanks for this. Great stuff for potential buyers. Truly, much appreciated.
wrp
· 2 years ago
Ugh. I gag every time I leave for work and pass that place.
And how lame is it that the condo developers' minions would try to spam a blog?
not_too_bad
· 2 years ago
It could be worse, look at the proliferation of "craftsman style townhomes" throughout Fremont, Wallingford etc. I get to walk past half a dozen or more on my mile walk to work. I would much rather have some diversity, maybe a mid-century modern (not a pathetic attempt at copying one) and maybe some other interesting design attempts in their place. Just my 2c
Dustin
· 2 years ago
I admit that the building is ugly. You dont have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. But that Lori Matsukawa article was an opinion filled witchhunt. What was left out of that article were most of the facts.
Such as the homeowners would have lost thier home months sooner if it wasn't for Mr Gintz. It also didnt mention that they neglected to pay on thier lease for many months before they were evicted. And they were evicted according to the law. What kind of landlord would let a tenant stay in a home where they dont make thier payments. Thats just proposterous.
Mr Gintz has done a lot of good, for a lot of people. My own parents were going to be forced out of thier home if it werent for him. With his assistance they were able to get out of the home with money in thier pockets. Instead of getting kicked out by the bank.
If it wasnt for him, many other people would have been in the same boat, or actually living on the street with thier credit and in some cases thier lives ruined. So before you make up your mind, know that there are two sides to the story.
Jeno
· 2 years ago
Dustin, you're an idiot. If Mr. Gintz were really trying to help your parents, he would have convinced them to sell their homes much earlier before they even reached foreclosure, so they could profit from the sell of their home.
"Mr Gintz has done a lot of good, for a lot of people. My own parents were going to be forced out of thier home if it werent for him. With his assistance they were able to get out of the home with money in thier pockets. Instead of getting kicked out by the bank."
Umm, if you seriously take a look, your parents were forced out of their home by Mr. Gintz while he took a serious profit from your parents unfortunate situation. He probably just gave your parents a cut from the profit he made so that your parents would have the illusion that they actually came out of the situation with something good.
Truthfully, if your parents had decided to sell their home before having to turn to Mr. Gintz for help, they would have walked away from the deal with a hell of a lot more money.
Ted
· 2 years ago
AWESOME! I think condo flipping just jumped the shark err couch! Sign me up!
Celeste Tanner
· 2 years ago
Coming soon, to a condo near you, new paint!
I walked past there last night. They've added blothches of paint to the side of the building... it looks like they're planning to repaint the exterior of their (mostly) empty building. Perhaps they think it's all about paint chips? There appears to be some dark forest green in the vertiginous future.
Eric R. Bitten
· 2 years ago
Vertigo?
Here's a taste of Tacoma's Hitchcock pic...
Gintz Group negotiated shared ownership of the Fawcett House in Tacoma with Fawcett House, LLC. Another rescue operation?
City Officials performed an inspection on this 100 year old building in July 2006, found code violations, and immediately kicked out all residents.
One local press release suggested that the Fawcett House would be razed to make way for student housing and parking for the expanding UW Tacoma. Another press release implied that new ownership intended to remodel the structure.
Click this link to get a feel for what really happened in T-Town:
Incidentally, the Gintz Group is setting up an office across the street from City Hall in our fair city.
Opinions from our fair(er) city to the north?
Curious in Tacoma.
-Eric
brad
· 2 years ago
Someone on the original post mentioned something about how this used to be a nice building until they painted it... Had they ever seen it? Before it was really ugly and beige, with some weird King Arthur's court faux stained glass window next to the front door. (Seattle buildings also seem to hate any color besides brown and beige, but that's another story.) Now it's atrocious but at least it is interesting. There's a bunch of those ugly 60s buildings in gray and beige, and the architecture is so boring and ugly, all you can really do to spruce it up is color. personally, I think the new paint job is an improvement over the old building. (Admittedly, I might have made the colors a bit more subtle, and maybe only used two or three colors.)
Just my two cents.
Doug
· 2 years ago
Paint is happening again, this time with early 70's earth tones. Better color combo, wrong decade. Agree that the windows are the weak point in this renovation.
Jonathan
· 2 years ago
OH RIGHT, re-paint the building SHIT_BROWN... Who are these people?
lola
· 2 years ago
WOW! What a bunch of winers. Has anyone ever thought of making a suggestion directly to the Gintz Group? Has anyone ever thought about the fact that there WERE heroin addicts living in the stairway. That they loved the history of the building so much they tried to salvage as much as they could. I agree that the first round of colors were a little abrasive. To that end you talked they listended, the colors changed. They are people.
Andy
· 1 year ago
Given Mr. Gintz's checkered personal past (first-hand experience/knowledge), I would strongly advise you not to deal with this con man.
Janis
· 1 year ago
I to have dealt with David Gintz personally as well, and he is a total con man. He runs his business with his brothers who are ALL con men and idiots to boot. I would not trust him at all even if my life depended on it. He was with Metropolitan Development Group , and they broke off without him because he was a scammer. Not that MDG is any better, Gwen and Casey are a bunch of low lives as well. Crappy employers and even crappier parents. I don't trust any of them .
OrientPoker
· 7 months ago
Good Luck with condo flipping. Just wonder what happened to this one?
All Comments
Under amenities: "Our onsite fitness center will keep you fashionably thin."
So I guess they don't want any fat people in there?
I can't believe someone is going to pay $400,000 to live there (and someone will!).
And I miss that great tree.
I'm a former tenant in that building, and my partner was the person who asked why you were taking the photos. We completely agree with your assessment. The inside of the place was a little wacky looking, but the exterior is now a complete eyesore.
I'd ask what the developer - The Gintz Group, of Tacoma - was thinking, but I already know the answer has dollar signs in it. Clearly, they have a really different idea of the "Seattle sensibility" than most of the people I've met here.
Unfortunately, it's going to be even uglier for the buyer when they start having problems with the very slapdash "quickie" conversion. The day I finished moving out, they'd just spray painted silver over the brass doorknobs - they're not even buying new locks. They need to look carefully for the mould and water leakage problems that have been painted over and perhaps look for the cracks in the back units of the building from earthquake damage that is being covered up, but not really repaired.
Honest to goodness though - given how poorly they've treated the tennants there I can't imagine wanting to do business with these people...
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/287796_tena...
And their open houses start this weekend (from 11-3). Should anyone wish to offer feedback in person.
Lori Matsukawa of King 5 News did a special story as well that mentioned David Gintz and his involvement in these mortgage scams.
In my opinion, you'd be crazy to buy a condo in that building, especially from that group led by that guy.
And how lame is it that the condo developers' minions would try to spam a blog?
Such as the homeowners would have lost thier home months sooner if it wasn't for Mr Gintz. It also didnt mention that they neglected to pay on thier lease for many months before they were evicted. And they were evicted according to the law. What kind of landlord would let a tenant stay in a home where they dont make thier payments. Thats just proposterous.
Mr Gintz has done a lot of good, for a lot of people. My own parents were going to be forced out of thier home if it werent for him. With his assistance they were able to get out of the home with money in thier pockets. Instead of getting kicked out by the bank.
If it wasnt for him, many other people would have been in the same boat, or actually living on the street with thier credit and in some cases thier lives ruined. So before you make up your mind, know that there are two sides to the story.
"Mr Gintz has done a lot of good, for a lot of people. My own parents were going to be forced out of thier home if it werent for him. With his assistance they were able to get out of the home with money in thier pockets. Instead of getting kicked out by the bank."
Umm, if you seriously take a look, your parents were forced out of their home by Mr. Gintz while he took a serious profit from your parents unfortunate situation. He probably just gave your parents a cut from the profit he made so that your parents would have the illusion that they actually came out of the situation with something good.
Truthfully, if your parents had decided to sell their home before having to turn to Mr. Gintz for help, they would have walked away from the deal with a hell of a lot more money.
I walked past there last night. They've added blothches of paint to the side of the building... it looks like they're planning to repaint the exterior of their (mostly) empty building. Perhaps they think it's all about paint chips? There appears to be some dark forest green in the vertiginous future.
Here's a taste of Tacoma's Hitchcock pic...
Gintz Group negotiated shared ownership of the Fawcett House in Tacoma with Fawcett House, LLC. Another rescue operation?
City Officials performed an inspection on this 100 year old building in July 2006, found code violations, and immediately kicked out all residents.
One local press release suggested that the Fawcett House would be razed to make way for student housing and parking for the expanding UW Tacoma. Another press release implied that new ownership intended to remodel the structure.
Click this link to get a feel for what really happened in T-Town:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/...
Incidentally, the Gintz Group is setting up an office across the street from City Hall in our fair city.
Opinions from our fair(er) city to the north?
Curious in Tacoma.
-Eric
Just my two cents.