Amazon's new space at 1918 Eighth Avenue

Amazon.com is quickly establishing its presence in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, with Vulcan Real Estate announcing today that the third phase of the massive headquarters project in the old industrial neighborhood is now complete.  In a separate announcement this week, the online retailer gobbled up another 460,000 square feet of space in the 1918 Eighth Avenue building, which is located closer to downtown.

The new office space couldn’t have come at a better time. Amazon.com is in the midst of a major growth spurt. The company added 9,400 workers last year, a 38 percent increase in headcount over 2009 levels. The online retailer now employs 33,700 people worldwide.  (Seattle’s other tech titan, Microsoft, employed 88,719 at the end of last year).

The Amazon.com headquarters project is massive by any standard, consisting of 11 new buildings constructed across five phases of development. (The fourth phase is currently under construction, with those buildings set to open this Spring). The total project — expected to be fully completed in 2013 — will consists of 1.9 million square feet of office and retail space.

Here’s Vulcan’s Lori Mason Curran talking about the new project:

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline

Job Listings on GeekWork

Find more jobs on GeekWork. Employers, post a job here.