Zillow joins tenant list at Russell Center

Downtown Seattle's 42-story Russell Investments Center has signed another high-profile tenant.

Zillow, the Seattle-based online real-estate marketplace and database, has leased 66,000 square feet — three full floors — in the 890,000-square-foot tower, a spokeswoman for the building's owner said Tuesday.

That represents an expansion for Zillow, which now leases about 48,000 square feet at the nearby Wells Fargo Center. That space has been listed for sublease.

Zillow was founded in 2006 and now is one of the largest real-estate websites. Recently it has taken steps toward going public.

The lease brings the tower's occupancy to about 90 percent, said a spokeswoman for owner Northwestern Mutual.

The Russell Center's leasing activity is more closely watched than that of most downtown buildings. It became a symbol of Seattle's economic and real-estate woes after Washington Mutual was seized by federal regulators in September 2008.

JPMorgan Chase, which took over WaMu's banking operations, laid off most of the bank's headquarters employees, leaving the building — then known as the WaMu Center — almost empty.

It remained largely vacant until insurance giant Northwestern Mutual bought it in September 2009 — the same day Northwestern Mutual subsidiary Russell Investments announced it would move to the tower from its headquarters in Tacoma.

Other large tenants include Nordstrom and biotech Dendreon, which announced last month it was leasing eight floors.

Eric Pryne: 206-464-2231 or epryne@seattletimes.com