by Assunta Ng
Northwest Asia Weekly
Where Eng Suey Sun Plaza once stood (Photo by Assunta Ng)
Two years ago, a fire destroyed Eng Suey Sun Square at 815 South Weller. Estimated damage to the property is approximately $2.5 million, in addition to damages to 13 businesses with heavy medical and baking equipment and a nonprofit within the building.
The property, which spans over 20,000 square feet, was recently sold for $8 million to a South Korean company planning to develop the property. Built in 1989, the Eng Building was one of the largest family association properties in Seattle’s Chinatown International District (CID) at the time. This is a unique commercial building with 24 parking spaces and a great asset to CID. Businesses there include many diverse and pioneering businesses owned by refugees and immigrants from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am (the property has sold),” said Linwena Eng, the first president of the Eng Family Association Women’s Aid nearly 30 years ago. “I was so excited. I cried a lot when the building burned down.” An Eng family member from Boston learned of the fire from a TV report. He called members of the Seattle chapter to check. No one was in the building and no member happened to be in Chinatown, so local members could not immediately verify.
When it was confirmed that it was indeed the Eng building in Seattle, “I broke down and cried,” Linwena said. After the fire, she cried many times, and there was another reason. In addition to the heartbreak, the headaches in the aftermath also overwhelmed the old guards.
“The homeless entered the house even though there was a fence,” said Francis Huang, the association’s former president.
“The rest of the walls are full of graffiti.”
“Even before the fire, homeless people were sneaking into our headquarters and cooking,” said Nelson Enger, an elderly former building manager. “Now they’re back, they’ve broken the fence, and they’ve set up a big tent inside. They’ve also made a fire to cook.”
The Engs had to hire security to monitor the property, and they continued to pay property taxes even though the building had disappeared. Nelson’s original wish was to rebuild. They also looked into the development of the property.
But the investment amount was too large, Wong said.
“It takes too much money to build eight floors. If we don’t sell it, we still have to pay property taxes. And we don’t have the cash. So we did the math and we had to sell. All the senior leaders agreed.”
“We (leaders) are getting old,” Levenner said. At 81, she’s not even the oldest. The oldest member of the association, Robert Eng, is 93, and Nelson, who once managed the building, is 85. After the fire, the Engs did get together and invited some influential Engs from Ocean Star Restaurant (formerly Sun Ya) to discuss the property. future. But the past two years have done nothing but talk.
“To do things well, you need to organize and recruit the younger generation to help,” Lin Wenna said. “But they don’t come to our events anymore. We just don’t have the capacity to rebuild and develop properties.”
815 South Weller (Photo by Assunta Ng)
Two years later, leaders finally realized that the best thing to do was to sell the property. “It’s a relief that the property is now sold,” Huang said.
Huang said other groups have also shown interest in the property, including the nearby International Community Health System.
“When this group (buyers) came to us, they seemed to be very easy to work with. It was a great option. It didn’t take a lot of steps. It was a big company. The terms were good.”
Huang said it will take no more than five weeks to close the deal. A member of the Eng family shared with the buyer is 8 S. Weller LLC., whose parent company owns and operates hotels and multifamily projects.
Asia Weekly has contacted real estate agents representing the South Korean company. He didn’t return our calls.
With cash in hand, the association’s next step is to find another smaller property to buy to keep the association afloat. Ideally, it should be in Chinatown. If not, Beacon Hill is also feasible, Wong said. Members can also rent temporary offices at CID until they buy another property.
On Facebook, Alvin Wong wrote: “The Anglo-Soviet Family Association will donate these guardian lions to the Wing Luke Museum to protect these statues as part of Chinatown’s history.”
To celebrate the new chapter of the association, it plans to hold a dinner at Joyale Restaurant on May 14th. It will be the first since the pandemic to celebrate Mother’s Day and the recent sale of the property.
In the aftermath of the fires, Britons felt hopeless and sad. Now that has been replaced by joy and hope for a new beginning.
Assunta can reach assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
