Sunday, April 13, 2008

"Some residents want the wall saved"

Theres a story in today's Times about how Sabey has filed plans to build the Ice House portion of the "Original Rainier Brewery."

Looks like the reporter talked to Sabey VP Jim Harmon and a single Georgetown resident, Peter Reiquam, and the latter summed up the situation this way: the Ice House design was pretty well-received by the community and the fate of the remainder of the Stock House wall will come down to money. Fair enough.

Here's the part that's a little confusing to me:

Sabey prefers to demolish the stump of the Stock House wall next to the Brew House, an existing building just north of the Ice House site. Some residents want the wall saved.


Sure, some residents want the wall saved; that sentence is so vague that it's meaningless. I suspect that "some" is really closer to "most" if not "virtually all."

Obviously the Sabey folks want to see the wall gone, but they're not locals. I want the wall saved, but I'm not a "bona-fide-resident-in-Georgetown," either.

So, what do you bona fide Georgetowners think? Are there really any of you who hate this "stump" of wall to the left of the tower and can't wait to see Sabey tear it down?

IMG_3247

Regardless of whether the wall stays or goes, pedestrians on Airport Way will still have a view of the tower. If the wall stays, the view will be more limited, like a view in a well-designed Japanese garden. And we'll still have a view of that gorgeous wall, with the "STOCK-HOUSE" sign still there.

In my opinion, Sabey has yet to unveil any plans that make tearing down the wall seem appealing in the slightest. In this rendering, they show a bunch of people just standing around without benches or art or a fountain or greenery or amenities or anything on an expanse of nothingness (with, in an unexpected touch of verisimilitude, some asshole's SUV parked up on the curb right next to the Brew House).

IMG_1295

It's like they haven't even thrown us a bone yet, yet already only "some residents" are in favor of retaining the wall. I don't get it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Someone told me comments aren't working. This is a test...

LMM said...

The wall is gone.

Anonymous said...

Just for clarification, the Georgetown Community Council submitted a resolution to the Landmarks Preservation Board calling for, among other things, preservation of the remaining Stockhouse wall. A vast majority of one of the largest GCC meetings in recent memory is a stronger statement than "some residents". Ask the GCC board for a copy of the letter. I'm sure it's public record.