Preview of what's to come at 12th & Cherry

The corner of 12th & Cherry has been vacant for years, and has recently been turned into a hole in the ground after tons of soil had to be dug up and hauled away to clean up the toxic remains of an old dry-cleaners. But Seattle U has much bigger plans for it: by the fall of 2011 it will be occupied by a 5-story building with ground-floor retail and 250 new beds for students.

Construction is scheduled to begin next spring. Here's some preliminary renderings of what's coming:

Looking at the main corner at 12th & Cherry

The corner of 13th & Cherry

12th & James Court, Looking east

The south side of the building, which will border a small city park