Our story at Pillar Properties in Seattle, Washington

Our Culture

Powering every facet of this company is our loyal team. These are extraordinary people who step outside routine to pleasantly surprise their communities at every opportunity. It’s this spirit of creativity that makes our relationships with partners and residents stand the test of time.  

The team members who work at Pillar Properties are the key to our success - and we offer opportunities to build a career while growing personally and professionally in a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture that creates a true sense of belonging. 

Developing, owning and operating our properties means we can bring our unique voice into our residents’ and partners’ entire experience with us. Quietly Awesome is the internal mantra that guides the decisions we make and the experience our team delivers, from pouring a building’s first foundations, to waving hello to residents returning home. 

Our History

At Pillar Properties, we’ve been family owned and operated since the beginning, meaning we hold a deep-rooted commitment to our work and our relationships. When we build in a neighborhood, we’re in it for the long haul. We owe it to our neighbors to be a real part of what we’re creating—weaving local flavor into our buildings and playing an active role in the communities we call home.

In the 1890s, our founder, Richard Dwight (R.D.) Merrill, launched a timber operation with a distinctive respect for people and place. R.D. Merrill became an innovator in sustainable forestry – replanting seedlings wherever he cut down a tree – and he took care of his employees, providing superior accommodations and working conditions.

From those pioneering beginnings, our work has grown and diversified. Today, company chairman Cole Wright, a fifth-generation Merrill, continues the legacy, leading Pillar Properties and sister company Merrill Gardens with a time-honored passion for community.

Pillar Passions

Being in the business of creating homes means keeping a commitment to your neighborhood – we call that commitment being “Localicious.” You know you’re getting the best ingredients possible when you eat local, and we see our properties the same way. That means enriching the communities we’re a part of through our Pillar Passions service initiatives, favoring local businesses and weaving that local flavor into our buildings.

We are focused on being a positive influence - whether it's our annual drive for Toys for Tots or the local charities our properties support, we are adding value to the neighborhoods where we operate. 

Join Us

Pillar Passions

Being in the business of creating homes means a commitment to the neighborhoods where we operate – we call that commitment being “Localicious.” You know you’re getting the best ingredients possible when you eat local, and we see our properties the same way. That means enriching the communities we’re a part of through our Pillar Passions service initiatives, favoring local businesses and weaving that local flavor into our buildings.

We are focused on being a positive influence - whether it's our annual drive for Toys for Tots or the local charities our properties support, we are adding value to the neighborhoods where we operate. 

Join Us
Build something remarkable graphic from Pillar Properties in Seattle, Washington