Seattle Culture

Historic Cornish College Building For Sale

Kerry Hall was the original home of college founder Nellie Cornish

By Rob Smith April 9, 2024

Exterior view of the historic Cornish College of the Arts' Kerry Hall on a sunny day with clear skies.

The former home of a Seattle visionary is for sale.

The historic Kerry Hall building, at 710 E. Roy St. in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, was built in 1921 and was the home of Nellie Cornish, who founded the arts college in 1914 and ran it for 25 years. The college was formed in the building and has occupied it since then.

Side-by-side comparison of a sunlit rehearsal room with a piano and chairs, and an empty theater with seating facing a stage equipped with lighting rigs.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Brunette/CBRE

The planned sale will complete Cornish’s longtime plan to unify its campus in the South Lake Union neighborhood. Most Cornish classes are now held in its Main Campus Center and other buildings in the Denny Way and Boren Avenue areas.

An empty dance studio with large mirrors, a glossy floor, and exposed brick walls featuring large arched windows.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Brunette/CBRE

“The sale of Kerry Hall will bring dance and music classes to our main campus, allowing students to better utilize the cross-disciplinary opportunities that make a Cornish education unique,” says Cornish College of the Arts President Raymond Tymas-Jones. “It also immerses developing artists in the heart of Seattle’s technology scene, where creativity meets innovation.”

Cornish will reinvest proceeds from the sale, which is being managed by CBRE, into existing facilities and operations. Enrollment is expected to exceed 530 students in the 2024-2025 school year, higher than it was prior to the pandemic.

Kerry Hall, a 31,900-square-foot building, includes classrooms, studios, rehearsal space, and a large performance venue. It is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Brightly lit hallway in a building with wooden benches, artwork on the walls, and a water fountain.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Brunette/CBRE

A sunny courtyard with a covered walkway featuring decorative columns, adjacent to a multi-story white building.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Brunette/CBRE

Follow Us

No Cap: This is Really Bussin

No Cap: This is Really Bussin

Confused by Gen Z slang? This handy guide can help.

Gen Z has cooked up a dialect that's practically foreign to the rest of the world, and you can thank TikTok for that. Since its debut...

Editor's Note: Persistence and Progress

Editor’s Note: Persistence and Progress

Women share their perspective on equity and equality

During a recent appearance on entrepreneur Rachel Horgan’s new podcast, The Weekly, she jokingly told me something that caught me completely off-guard...

Zillow: Seattle Remains a ‘Strong Seller’s’ Market

Zillow: Seattle Remains a ‘Strong Seller’s’ Market

Home prices are on the rise. Price cuts are not.

Zillow says Seattle remains a “strong seller’s” market, as do 29 of the 50 largest metro areas across the United States. The report notes that inventory and new listings are up significantly in both Seattle and the United States in the past year.

UW President: ‘A Range of Opinions’ on Encampment Deal

UW President: ‘A Range of Opinions’ on Encampment Deal

Ana Mari Cauce: ‘Some people are upset’

Some praised University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce for brokering a deal Friday to end the pro-Palestinian encampment on the UW campus. Others thought the university gave up too much. Many students said it wasn’t a “real win,” and vowed to continue advocating for change...