The building in Bellevue is flanked by Dot’s Back Inn and Zorba’s Pizza Express. (Mike Platania photo)
A long-vacant anchor of the Bellevue neighborhood’s main commercial drag is in line for a major makeover.
The former Samis Grotto Temple at 4028 MacArthur Ave. has sold to developers and real estate investors Ben Adamson and Alex Griffith for $300,000.
Originally built as the Bellevue Theater in 1937, the building was most recently a Masonic lodge for the local chapter of Grottoes International. Adamson and Griffith are planning a mixed-use conversion of the Art Deco structure with approximately 10 apartments above ground-floor commercial space.
Adamson, a developer and general contractor who owns Corinthian Construction, said in recent years the building has sat vacant and begun to fall into disrepair.
“It’s not in great condition. The roof went bad and started leaking inside,” he said. “It’s just full of wet debris.”
Adamson and Griffith connected when Corinthian was brought on to be the builder for Griffith’s conversion of the former Kobe Japanese Steaks and Sushi building in Shockoe Slip. Griffith has also invested in a handful of smaller apartment buildings in Forest Hill and Manchester, the latter of which is where Adamson has done much of his development work.
Adamson said they realized they were like-minded in their approach, and when Alex’s brother, Calvin Griffith of CBRE, brought them the Samis Grotto listing, they decided to team up and take it on as a redevelopment project.
They’re planning to build a floor in the theater area that would add an additional level of apartments. But Adamson said it’s unlikely that the apartment count will total more than 10.
“Our goal is to do a by-right development,” Adamson said. “We’re in the process now of seeing what makes sense.”
The sale closed Jan. 30. The seller was an entity tied to the Samis Grotto association, which had owned the building since 1966 when it bought it for $26,000. The city most recently assessed it at $348,000.
For the added commercial space, Adamson said they’re hoping to find a tenant that fits in with the surrounding retailers and restaurants along MacArthur Avenue.
“I’m always amazed at the foot traffic with the restaurants and coffee shops there. We want to piggyback on that,” he said. “We’ll be looking for a tenant that would add to the current vibe. A restaurant, retailer or market would be cool.”
Adamson said their first order of business is to install a new roof, then ideally begin construction this summer. Bruce Shirley is the project architect.
The building in Bellevue is flanked by Dot’s Back Inn and Zorba’s Pizza Express. (Mike Platania photo)
A long-vacant anchor of the Bellevue neighborhood’s main commercial drag is in line for a major makeover.
The former Samis Grotto Temple at 4028 MacArthur Ave. has sold to developers and real estate investors Ben Adamson and Alex Griffith for $300,000.
Originally built as the Bellevue Theater in 1937, the building was most recently a Masonic lodge for the local chapter of Grottoes International. Adamson and Griffith are planning a mixed-use conversion of the Art Deco structure with approximately 10 apartments above ground-floor commercial space.
Adamson, a developer and general contractor who owns Corinthian Construction, said in recent years the building has sat vacant and begun to fall into disrepair.
“It’s not in great condition. The roof went bad and started leaking inside,” he said. “It’s just full of wet debris.”
Adamson and Griffith connected when Corinthian was brought on to be the builder for Griffith’s conversion of the former Kobe Japanese Steaks and Sushi building in Shockoe Slip. Griffith has also invested in a handful of smaller apartment buildings in Forest Hill and Manchester, the latter of which is where Adamson has done much of his development work.
Adamson said they realized they were like-minded in their approach, and when Alex’s brother, Calvin Griffith of CBRE, brought them the Samis Grotto listing, they decided to team up and take it on as a redevelopment project.
They’re planning to build a floor in the theater area that would add an additional level of apartments. But Adamson said it’s unlikely that the apartment count will total more than 10.
“Our goal is to do a by-right development,” Adamson said. “We’re in the process now of seeing what makes sense.”
The sale closed Jan. 30. The seller was an entity tied to the Samis Grotto association, which had owned the building since 1966 when it bought it for $26,000. The city most recently assessed it at $348,000.
For the added commercial space, Adamson said they’re hoping to find a tenant that fits in with the surrounding retailers and restaurants along MacArthur Avenue.
“I’m always amazed at the foot traffic with the restaurants and coffee shops there. We want to piggyback on that,” he said. “We’ll be looking for a tenant that would add to the current vibe. A restaurant, retailer or market would be cool.”
Adamson said their first order of business is to install a new roof, then ideally begin construction this summer. Bruce Shirley is the project architect.
As an architect and an owner of investment property in Bellevue, this is welcome news! The whole west side of MacArthur really needs attention and I wish someone would buy and redevelop that long apartment block to the south of the Samis building also.
SAME!!! The apartment building is falling apart and the tenants seem to suffer from poor conditions.
Only unless the people living there can move back in at the same cost. Anything else is Gentrification.
So anytime someone improves a property and the living conditions of the tenants you call that gentrification? In the real world those improvements cost money, owners cant just give away housing, and maintaining the current state is a detriment to the renters, and the neighborhood. The residents gain a better living condition, they should pay more, its kinda that simple. The residents are renters, by definition they are transient and can move easily, that’s one of the benefits of renting. That mobility in a living situation is a positive, they are not bound to stay in the same place at… Read more »
Redevelopment will bring repopulation. Rents will be higher, naturally, bringing them in line with the market at this terrific location. Old rundown apartments bring down the entire community around it so let’s hope the current owners will go to the market with it.
Just thinking that same thing when we passed them the other night. Great opportunity to do more there.
The bottom floor is a gigantic spacious theatre. Perfecet for a food hall. The neighborhood needs Boba, Korean BBQ, poke bowls, maybe a MochiNut?
Parking is going to be an even worse nightmare.
I’m not sure what you mean. I live around the corner from MacArthur and parking is almost always dream-like, especially considering we live in the city. I think slightly crowded parking (if that even occurs) around our commercial strips at peak hours is a small price to pay for urban vitality and walkable access for Bellevue residents.
Did I miss the part of the article where we learn how many (very necessary) parking spaces the project will provide?
As somebody who actually lives on the block, I am not sure why you are being downvoted. Your concern is accurate. The block would be jam-packed if not for the electronic shop across the street where people park their cars illegally.
Reimagining those apartments next door.
My issue with the existing apartment block is not only that it’s antiquated, but that it’s set back far from the street creating a “void” between everything around it. The parking lot should be placed in the rear, commercial shops on ground floor, and two or three story dwellings above the shops.
MacArthur is essentially Bellevue’s “downtown” and when/if anyone redevelops the west side of the street, I hope it will be replaced with new density right at the sidewalk to create an urban and humane environment for neighborhood pedestrians.
When I lived on Clinton Avenue right behind the apartment location in the early 60s the site was an undeveloped field. The apartments were built in the car oriented late 60s and show their age not so well. Josh is right, they should be rebuilt closer to the street, in line with the theater which would create a more consistent pedestrian oriented block.
I agree that a minimal setback that’s enough to allow a wide sidewalk for outdoor dining and adequate street tree wells would be ideal. put parking in the rear for the residents, accessible from the existing alley
I agree. I just whipped this image together to try to get the building owners (I emailed it to an address I found after doing some online digging) and Bellevue residents to imagine something, anything, better than what’s there now.
Your drawing is impressive.
Con-GROTTO-Lations on a great purchase Ben and Alex! I can’t wait to see what you do with the place!
Any chance of Samis Grotto being built out as a theater?
Not sure if that’s the best use, but assuming it has theater set up now, it could be an opportunity… live performances & movies? Restuarant could be worked into it maybe, not sure about residential in the same building