Seattle Press on Line - Yak's Deli Building To Be Given A Face-Lift

Yak's Deli Building To Be Given A Face-Lift

Sep 22, 1998 -- The familiar facade of Yak's Restaurant on the southeast corner of Fremont Ave. and N. 36th will be changing in the next few months as the new owner, Brian Reagan, does a facelift on the turn-of-the-century building.
Reagan, who is also the landlord to the Still Life in Fremont Cafe next door, said that the building housing Yak's is a former bank. The kitchen occupies a domed reinforced-concrete bunker that used to be the main vault, he said.

The Still Life will stay the same inside and out, Reagan said. He pointed out that the flooring in the Still Life is bamboo. But Yaks will get a new exterior of clear unpainted cedar.

"I'd like the whole place to have sort of a western theme, you know, things like wooden sidewalks and some of the charm and character of the old west," Reagan said.
Reagan is also developing the vacant property east of the Still Life. He plans to have 20-25 live-work units with ground-floor retail stores and two levels of parking. The apartments will be market-rate 800 square-foot 2 bedroom and 600 square-foot 1 bedroom units.

The 60-foot wide building will stand a little over 40 feet high at street level but higher in the rear where the land drops sharply toward the alley.

Reagan said this building, too, will use natural wood siding to continue the 'western' look used on the Yak's building. "I'm thinking of vertical slab wood...I guess you might even call it Fort Fremont. We may go for a blockhouse effect at the top," he said.
August 1999 is a possible date for starting construction, Reagan said.

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