Looking for a dose of festive cheer this holiday season?
You might just find it in an unexpected corner of Seattle, where the spirits of the tech past linger.
The former headquarters of PayScale, the compensation data company that once called the historic Palmer Building in SoDo home, has been completely transformed into a winter wonderland that includes a family-friendly daytime experience called Kringle’s Inventionasium and an adults-only evening Elf Bar pop-up.
It’s an unusual metamorphosis of a fancy high-tech office space, one that received recognition at the 2017 GeekWire Awards as one of the region’s Geekiest Office Spaces. But time moves on, and so has PayScale.
The 22-year-old software company — which in 2019 was valued at $325 million after a private equity infusion — moved its headquarters to Boston in March. The Puget Sound Business Journal reported the news earlier this week.
Now, where software geeks once wrote code and executives debated corporate strategy, elves and Santa’s reign.
It’s all the magical dream of LIT Immersive founders Jason DeLeo and Jen Matthews, two theater geeks with a flair for immersive experiences. They took control of a portion of the former PayScale space about 18 months ago, and since then have created a wide array of themed experiences across the 18,000 square feet of space directly west of Lumen Field.
The transformation from corporate office to immersive playground was made possible by the fact that the tech company had virtually abandoned the space, leaving most of the infrastructure — not to mention TVs, power cords and other gear — intact.
“Almost everything is still here from (PayScale),” DeLeo said. “The microwaves are still the microwaves that they used. Their dishwashers. They had a kegerator, we have the kegerator … it’s all here.”
This allowed DeLeo and Matthews to save hundreds of thousands of dollars on the buildout of the space. The former PayScale sports bar — a highlight of the former office space — was easily repurposed (which DeLeo and Matthews happily open on game days for fans of the Seahawks and Mariners). The second floor break rooms are now used as a green room for the actors who perform in the various shows.
“We knew that PayScale was here, and that’s what turned us onto the space because it was fully networked,” said DeLeo.
The Elf Bar concept was also a stroke of luck. DeLeo and Matthews had already been cooking up a holiday-themed cocktail bar concept called Elf’d Up this year, when they were approached with a licensing deal from the creators of Elf Bar. Pop-up holiday-themed cocktail bars started gaining momentum about a decade ago, with organizations like Miracle now operating dozens of locations internationally, including four spots in Washington state.
Beyond its festive cocktails, Elf Bar offers a host of activities for 21+ crowd: holiday-themed trivia; karaoke lounge; a snowball fight club; and games. Reservations for three evening time slots are available, and tickets range from $15.50 to $18.50. The Elf Bar is open through Dec. 21, though DeLeo said they may extend the pop-up based on demand.
The day-time, kid-friendly Kringle’s Inventionasium — inspired by a long-running show in Cleveland, Ohio — has been a hit with families and school groups. Cost of that experience ranges from $24 to $63 per guest, with the daytime shows running through December 24.
Next up for DeLeo and Matthews? With the FIFA World Cup coming to Seattle next summer — including six matches across the street at Lumen Field — they are already planning for the next immersive experience or ways to rent the space to a team, corporate sponsor or broadcast company.
DeLeo said they are “praying” that Seattle gets some big-name teams during the World Cup draw today. Their holiday wish may have come true, with the U.S. Men’s National Team slated to play Australia — known as the “socceroos” — on Friday, June 19 at Lumen Field.
