Melissa G. Dalton

1 week ago | csis.org | Mark Cancian |Melissa G. Dalton

In February, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the military services and defense agencies to identify 8 percent, or about $50 billion, in annual cuts that could be reinvested in higher-priority activities. Who would be the winners and losers? CSIS experts Mark Cancian and Melissa Dalton took distinctly different approaches to this task in an exercise organized by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in partnership with CSIS.

1 month ago | portraitmagazine.com | Melissa G. Dalton |Andrew Giammarco

In the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, you’ll find everything from new condos in chic modern industrial buildings, to historic mansions on tree-lined streets. Classic Seattle “boxes” sidle up beside bungalows, Victorians, Tudors, and vintage apartments behind brick fronts. So it is, that this neoclassical house fits right in amongst its neighbors in East Capitol Hill, where so many stately historic homes have been maintained, rather than replaced with more modern abodes.

2 months ago | portraitmagazine.com | Melissa G. Dalton |Benjamin Benschneider

No matter the season, the first thing that Ray Bowen does in the morning at his Shoreline, Washington home is bring a cup of coffee out to the back terrace, settle in a chair, and take in the incredible view. “If the wind’s not blowing, you can even sit out there in the winter,” says Ray, noting how the covered trellis protects him from the sun in the summer, while heaters cleverly tucked between the beams deliver warmth when temperatures drop.

Nov 3, 2024 | portraitmagazine.com | Melissa G. Dalton |Rafael Soldi

Sometimes finding the right house is less about careful preparation, and more a matter of embracing happy accidents. Such was the case for Paul Midgen and Kirsten Adams, after they moved with their daughter, Lark, back to Seattle from Amsterdam in 2018. “We had a Goldilocks problem,” says Paul. “First we bought a house and it was too big. Then we bought a second house and it was too small.” The couple looked into remodeling the latter, but the Covid-19 pandemic brought plans to a halt.

Nov 3, 2024 | portraitmagazine.com | Melissa G. Dalton |Andrew Giammarco

Tom and Sally had been living in their downtown Seattle condominium for several years when a high-rise went in nearby, effectively blocking the couple’s view of the Space Needle. Shortly thereafter, they learned about another new building, not too far away, called the Rainier Square Tower. Completed in 2020, Rainier Square Tower rises 58 stories and occupies a prominent position in Seattle’s skyline, with street level commercial, office space, and luxury apartments.