Building plans for Seattle's Norse Home remodel raises questions

SEATTLE — The deadline for the closure of The Norse Home in Seattle’s Phinney Ridge neighborhood is drawing closer. The nonprofit Transforming Age announced it would close the facility’s doors in June of 2025. The company said the closure is happening so it can remodel the building. However, building plans submitted by the nonprofit to the city suggest otherwise.

“We knew that it wasn’t simply a renovation that was going to improve life for the current residents, we knew they had different plans to have a different kind of building,” John Engber, whose mom resides at Norse Home, said.

The building plan submitted would convert the building from its existing 130 units to 32 independent living units. It would change the building’s use and occupancy.

“It has dollar signs all over it, doesn’t it?” Elizabeth Steele, John’s mom, said. “There’s this sense of betrayal.” Steele is one of the last remaining residents. She said people have already begun to move out because of how hard it is to find affordable housing for seniors. 

“The great migration has already started but it means you know not only does everyone have to find another place but it breaks the community that was here,” she said. 

KING 5 reached out to Transforming Age about the submitted building plans but has not heard back. The organization provided a statement last month on the closure. It reads: 

“We’re committed to preserving the legacy and heritage of Norse Home. This difficult decision to temporarily close Norse Home was made with the best interests of our residents, current and future, in mind. Our aging structure needs to be rebuilt from the inside out to sustain Norse Home into the future.  By revitalizing Norse Home we can ensure the community will be sustainable, more comfortable, and better equipped to meet the needs of our residents for generations to come.”

Engber said he’s trying to prevent the closure from happening and is reaching out to city leaders to see if anything can be done to stop this. 

“Who’s going to replace those units for people like my mother who are middle class and need care in their later years in life,” he said. 

If Steele does have to move, this would be the third time she’s been forced to move out of a Transforming Age facility. 

“You know, burned once shame on you, burned three times shame on me, we’re going to stay away from Transforming Age,” Engber said.