The Whittaker, years in the making, West Seattle's largest apartment complex celebrated the opening of its north tower in a special event at the site on Sept. 21. The project's namesake, Jim Whittaker, famous for being the first American to summit Mt. Everest was on hand as the various teams of people who made it possible gathered to celebrate the accomplishment. The apartments are located at 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW.

The south tower opened last December and now the 389 apartments are complete with 260 currently rented.

Units are available in one and two-bedrooms with monthly rents starting at $1,538 and going up to more than $2,500.

The facility boasts numerous amenities from the Apex Club room, which is a well appointed gathering space to the rooftop deck, workout facility, and an internal courtyard, deck area on the third floor with another gathering space. and even a bocce ball court. and "lawn" area. Plants and a feeling of the outdoors permeate the project. 

The Whittaker also offers

• Valet Dry Cleaning

• Pet Friendly

• Pet Grooming Center

• Garage Parking

• Car Charging Station

• Storage Available

• Bike and Kayak Storage

The retail spaces on the first floor are being gobbled up quickly, even though the anchor client, Whole Foods backed out last year ahead of poor earnings reports and prior to the sale to Amazon. Moving in and near opening are BECU, MOD Pizza, T-Mobile, and City MD. The primary retail space on Alaska Street remains unoccupied but Whole Foods, who originally pulled out confirmed via email that they are back on and will move into the space opening likely in 2018.

Jim Whittaker spoke at the event and said, I'm so proud to have my name attached to this project. Whittaker drew comparisons between his history making achievement and the completion of the complex. "The analogy of climbing a mountain is good. This team here is what put this on the map. it's the same thing back in 1963, our team of 19 Americans, we walked over 185 miles to get into the base of Everest. It took a team of 19 people, diverse just as nature is diverse. All different kinds of people. The goal? To put at least one man on the highest point of Earth. If we could get one person on the highest point of Earth it was successful. If you put this team together, this diverse team to build this product and get it finished, my god what a tremendous undertaking and tremendous accomplishment."