Deck The Lobbies: MSRE Gets into the Holiday Spirit

One of our favorite traditions at Martin Selig Real Estate is decorating for the holidays. From our 32-foot Christmas tree on Second and Madison, to sparkling lobby displays in 17 of our Seattle buildings, our tenants enjoy a wide variety of displays throughout the winter. We asked our head landscape artist Sherrill Elliott about what goes into these extensive holiday decorations. Here’s what she had to say.

What goes into creating these holiday displays?

We have a team of eight people to achieve the installations and take-downs. Three of us do most of the actual decorating and it takes about eight days to complete the setup. There is a lot of pre-decoration coordination and working with the lights, locating ladders, ordering poinsettias, anthurium, and other red or white lobby plants. At times, we even need help from our electricians and building managers to get everything just right!

What makes these displays unique?

We try to reposition and reimagine our decorations so the same lobby does not have the same tree year after year. We hand string the lights on most of the trees so the glow factor is maximized. Every year, we search for new ornaments and ribbon to compliment and highlight some of our workhorse standards. We have also changed all of our tree lights to LED bulbs in recent years, to reduce our electricity consumption.

We also have a decorated tree Mr. Selig bought a few years ago at an auction that benefitted Seattle Children’s Orthopedic Hospital. Although we have had to tweak the tree a few times, we still use it in one of the lobbies of a building that hosts a children’s daycare every weekday. The tree is decorated with stuffed animals and toys to brighten up the children’s days.

Which displays are your favorite and why? 

I like many of our lobbies but one small tree that really stands out is at 3101 Western. It sparkles and glows in a lobby that tends to be dark in the winter months. We think of it as the Josephine Baker Tree. I also love the 32-foot outside tree, which has thousands of lights and is a beautiful beacon as you walk or drive down Second Avenue.

How do you hope building tenants and other passersby are impacted by these decorations? How do you hope they make people feel?

We try to create a bright spot for tenants, employees, and passersby workdays. It is a dark season and we all want others to feel hopeful and connected to the spirit of the holidays. As people arrive or leave in the dark hours the lobby should look warm and welcoming. It should say “Hello, welcome, we want you to enjoy being in our building.”

Where You Can Find MSRE Holiday Decorations

Our Christmas season lobby decorations are in the following 17 buildings:

1000 Second, 4th and Blanchard, 4th and Battery, 3rd and Battery, 4th and Vine, 3101 Western Avenue, 3131 Elliott Avenue, Elliott Bay Office Park, Third and Broad, 200 First West, 190 Queen Anne, 5th and Jackson, 5th and Yesler, 645 Elliott Avenue West, South Tower, and North Tower. Additionally, we do the 32-foot tree in front of the old Federal Reserve Building on 2nd and Madison.

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