Marlon Meyer
Northwest Asia Weekly
Exterior view of KODA apartment (photo courtesy of Dali Development)
Along the long corridors, in the soundproofed rooms, you never know who you will meet at KODA Apartments.
In one unit, an 81-year-old lives with the love he met 60 years ago and knows at a glance that she is the one.
In another person’s life, a man nearly a quarter his age who played the violin and viola at night was amazed that his neighbors couldn’t hear him at all, and the sound isolation was so good.
For two men, the condominium represented some kind of climax. The first abandoned a picturesque Texas home with an orchard by the lake. The second was duped in his first purchase and saw the reliability and quality of the building and its management as a godsend.
Both use the building’s proximity to the Chinatown International District (CID) as a way to go shopping at Uwashimaya, or frequent sushi or gyoza restaurants and roast pork or duck restaurants like Kau Kau. Both take advantage of the slump and waterfront workouts near the venue.
Find connections in new spaces
KODA’s roof deck (photo courtesy of Da-Li Development)
The property demonstrates that new developments in CID can actually fit into the community while bringing in the desired business.
From the roof garden, sitting on a chair, I could see the endless sky through the black feather grass that spewed out like whiskers.
On tougher days, just after the building opened in June last year, residents came to a nearby stadium to watch sporting events in isolation.
“They may feel close to the action,” said Vivian Hsieh, sales and marketing manager for developer Da-Li Development USA.
But today, during a recent visit to the property by Northwest Asia Weekly, a black-tie party was held for residents and guests in the two-story public space lobby.
At the center of the event was a long table filled with items that local agencies needed to support. Residents bid on items such as traditional Japanese zabutons (floor mats) from Ayame Kai or vases from the Washington Japanese Cultural Community Center.
Sushi, salads, fruit and other food line up another table as guests and residents chat in the corner. A young Asian American woman sings into a microphone while playing guitar.
What drew these residents here? From what the two people interviewed gave, it was a desire for a community that they seemed to have found, or were starting to look for.
Tang, who is in his 80s, asked to keep his last name for privacy reasons. He looked up during the interview, and a young couple walked in with a small baby strapped to its mother’s chest.
“Ah, hello!” he said, waving to them. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
The couple lived on the other side of the block, but he was clearly a grandfather.
As for Dominic Hutt, a 23-year-old young resident, he fell in love with the space itself—the amenities and the environment.
Panoramic view from the roof garden (Photo by Mahlon Meyer)
When not playing an instrument, he works in the clubhouse on the 17th floor overlooking Mount Rainier. He works at a startup in the city center, so he can bike to his office in five minutes.
“But when I’m working from home, you can always find me up there, looking east,” he said.
On breaks, he makes use of the shuffleboard, pool table and cinema above.
building community
How they got there is providence.
Don was born in Santa Cruz, California, where his grandfather worked with a partner to dry apples and sell cider.
As a multi-generational Chinese-American, he never thought too much about race, only noting that there were very few Asian-Americans in his hometown.
It wasn’t until he got into the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, traveled the world, and saw Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia and Southeast Asia that he realized he was actually very biased to begin with.
“Growing up with those few Asian American girls, I thought all Asian women were like that,” he said. “It wasn’t until I got to the other side of the world and saw all the Asian women that I realized that Asian women can be as beautiful as white women.”
Soon after, one day, on the third floor of the Long Island dormitory, he looked out and saw the most beautiful one.
She is Japanese. His family was severely hurt by the Japanese invasion of China, including the split from his grandparents, who at one point parted ways.
But he asked for her phone number and promised to call her next week. A month and a half has passed.
“I’m busy with other things,” he said. He was in the academy and went to MIT, where he got his master’s degree and eventually his Ph.D. From the University of Arizona – a zealous young man,
But she knew right away. That night, she told her roommate, “This is the man I’m marrying.”
Why and how does it happen? A psychologist in a chair might argue that it was because she lost her father when she was 2 years old. Her father was also in the merchant marine and his ship sank with it when it sank during the war.
“He’s a great swimmer and a great kendo player,” Tang said.
So his future wife grew up without a father, save for the haunting picture of the slender young man in the uniform of the merchant marine. At this time, another slender young man in a merchant uniform appeared and asked for her phone number. Is it the ghost of the past?
Proof of age is not. They have been married for 60 years and have a son and a daughter. In fact, one of them was the reason they moved to Seattle to be closer to him in their later years.
“If something happens, I can’t take care of you,” their son in Seattle told them recently.
But on the surface, they are the ones taking care of the younger generation. After the interview, Tang got up and went back to the hall, looking for the young couple he invited to the banquet.
For his part, Dominic Hurt has never met Don, but after hearing his story, he said he wished to see someone outside his unit’s window.
In fact, Hurt was nearly homeless after being deceived by a developer in the city of Columbia.
After graduating from Gonzaga University with a finance degree (“I have a history of shoveling snow and landscaping,” he says), he stayed with his parents to save money. He got a job at a Seattle startup, but works remotely.
After he had saved enough money to pay the deposit, he did research and found a unit near Columbia’s light rail line. When the developer clamped down on the deal after the apartment had been built, he was ready to move in.
“Developers are taking advantage of people like me’s interest in properties to get better financing rates and convert them into apartments.”
Hurt got his deposit back. But he has nowhere to live.
When he found the KODA apartment, he was impressed with the quality of the finishes, especially the quiet setting as it is located in an urban setting.
“I didn’t know you could do that with soundproofing,” he said. He was on the second floor, but couldn’t hear anything.
On a recent visit to the building, the floor-to-ceiling windows of each unit displayed transparent wings like angels. It is truly surprising that standing next to the material, with your ear to the glass, can barely hear the sound of the street below.
Each unit is bathed in the white light of the spring sky.
find freedom
Due to his job and his relative newness – Dominic moved in four months ago – he doesn’t deal with other residents.
He said he was comfortable in his one-bedroom unit, where he sautéed himself fries with salmon or whitefish and vegetables he bought from Uwashimaya.
“I love the staff here, they do everything they can to make your stay more comfortable and they are very friendly,” he said.
Both felt the place had a different appeal. From the top of KODA, you can see the brown cozy facades of Chinatown buildings like a phone home.
From the other side, you can see the city center and its majestic towers, just a few steps away.
However, Don and his wife went in a completely different direction. On some days, he and his wife walk to the waterfront and walk the entire length.
His wife teaches aerobics and tai chi twice a week at the International District/Chinatown Community Center (he also goes). On their off days, they practice Tai Chi in the apartment’s yoga and fitness studio.
Dominic, on the other hand, likes to be in Pioneer Square, saying his friends told him it used to be a complex area, but now he finds restaurants and coffee shops ideal.
Mahlon can be contacted by info@nwasianweekly.com.
