Seabold Construction‘s closure in 2023 left two multifamily projects in North Portland incomplete. Building equipment worth millions of dollars was stored in an underground parking garage in one of the buildings.

Only chain-link fences guarded the Zeal Lofts and Fargo Apartments properties in Albina, a neighborhood deeply affected by crime and homelessness.

Nathan Weide, a construction-industry veteran who had been hired by Seabold as general superintendent for the projects, figured he had to do something.

Working with the owner-developer, Vibrant Cities of Seattle, Weide called every subcontractor working on the two projects. He asked them some basic questions: How much have you been paid? How much are you owed? And are you still interested in working on the projects?

Weide spent months clearing liens on the projects. Not every subcontractor came back, but many did. And after 14 months of inactivity on the projects, they went back to work.

Vibrant Cities kept Weide as general superintendent and formed a single-purpose entity, Solterra Strata, a limited liability company. (Vibrant Cities declined to comment for this article, citing ongoing litigation).

Seabold assistant superintendent Mark Staley stayed, and assistant superintendent Jesse Hiellig also joined to help manage construction. Judy Parish, also from Seabold, served as bilingual language foreman and Austin Weide (Nathan’s son) served as fire-stop technician. Many other subcontractors contributed.

“We had a good team put together,” Nathan Weide said.

Weide and Staley instituted a daily coordination meeting of subcontractors at the neighboring sites. Some didn’t love the idea of attending a meeting every day, but it proved crucial, Weide said.

“That really helped speed up the project right there,” he said.

Security was an ongoing concern. Weide rehired a security contractor. Construction continued even as shootings occurred nearby, with police and ambulance sirens a frequent backdrop.

“With the neighborhood as it is, it’s challenging,” Weide said.

Zeal Lofts comprises 215 units and the Fargo Apartments another 102 units. Designed by Jackson | Main Architecture of Seattle, the projects entered construction in October 2021.

Work led by Seabold halted on Nov. 9, 2023. The circumstances are in dispute, but Seabold’s contract and all subcontracts were terminated.

Weide, 48, has served in the construction industry since 1997, when he joined Robert Gray Partners as a carpenter. He worked his way up in the industry, later working for major contractors such as Swinerton and Deacon Construction, and playing a role in projects including the Wingspan Event and Conference Center in Hillsboro, Ilani Casino Resort in Ridgefield, Washington, the Northeast Portland Ikea outlet, and the Edward J. Ray Hall at the Oregon State University-Cascades campus.

That left him well prepared to handle the mess left by the end of Seabold Construction. Harry Seabold, the contractor’s co-founder and president, died in January 2023 at age 69. Some legal cases related to the company’s demise have been settled, but others remain open.

The Fargo Apartments building was completed in January 2025, and the Zeal Lofts followed in March, roughly three and a half years after construction began.

The Fargo, at 25 N. Fargo St., has five floors of wood construction over two floors of concrete, while the Zeal, at 3185 N. Williams Ave., has a six-over-two design. Both projects have some parking — the Zeal has an underground garage, while the Fargo has ground-floor spaces.

Both buildings are intended to draw market-rate renters with small, relatively affordable units. The Zeal offers lofted studios and a few one-bedroom apartments with a shared full-service kitchen and amenity spaces on each floor in a dormitory-style configuration. The Fargo has a mix of studios and apartments with one or two bedrooms.

Projects connected to efforts to remake Albina are under way. They include the Williams & Russell project featuring affordable apartments, houses and a Black business hub with offices and retail space, and Albina Vision Trust‘s Albina One, a 94-unit apartment project.

Other signs of growth have popped up. Williams Coffee House opened a block south at 3037 N. Williams Ave. earlier this year. A Southwestern-themed bar, The Waypost, has held on directly across the street from the Zeal. A New Seasons grocery store a couple of blocks north provides a retail anchor.

The Fargo’s residential units are approximately 50 percent leased, while the Zeal’s are 25 percent to 30 percent full. A restaurateur has agreed to lease retail space at the Fargo. Two spaces at the Zeal remain unoccupied.

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