Remember the Georgetown Graffiti Mural?

Looks like it's being painted over.





To make way for an advertisement.

Hearse for Sale in Georgetown

Also, cat stalking crows.

Full Throttle Bottles Grand Opening Party

I accidentally crashed the Full Throttle Bottles grand opening party last night.

A couple of neighbors joined us for dinner at Jules Maes, then we all walked over to Full Throttle Bottles afterward to pick out a bottle of wine or some weird beer or yummy cider or whatever.





And Erika told us they were about to have their grand opening party and that we should stick around. So we did.

There were hors d'oeuvres and music in the back room.



The Field Roast people were cooking up some sweet (at left) and spicy (at right) hot links.





I talked to LaDele from Friends of Georgetown History about her latest postcard find and one of the Field Roast partners about her naturopath business in that Georgetown space where the CPA psychic used to be.

We admired John Bennett's jukebox collection.



I especially enjoyed the German chocolate-y cake and the Black Cherry Cream Soda. Thanks, Erika (and kilt dude whose name I can't remember because I am lame), and good luck to you guys with your beautiful little store.

Georgetown Pharmacy Building to Be Sold?

There's been some talk that some of the renters in the Miller Building -- the motorcycle guy, the Georgetown Pharmacy, Urban Press, and Griffin -- may have some tougher times ahead of them. Apparently one of the other renters is in the process of purchasing the building, and they're not saying a lot about wanting to try to keep the current tenants in place.

I haven't looked into any of this myself, but I don't doubt the source. And it seems so very likely. While I love the old Georgetown Pharmacy (and once planned to buy something there but it wasn't open yet), every time I pass by it, I'm amazed that it's still with us.

The motorcycle place:



Georgetown Pharmacy:

"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?



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).



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.

Before the Attack

Since I'll be unable to attend the Georgetown Art Attack tonight, I stopped by before things officially got started.

First I went to Fantagraphics to check out the drawings by Drew Friedman, whose mean, sad, funny work has fascinated me ever since my husband introduced me to it eight years ago. I didn't buy the two books we don't already own or the signed silkscreen for the show because I figure my husband will go and spend his money on these things as soon as he reads this.

Then I headed north.





Then I went to Full Throttle Bottles and finally met Erica and her guy. I'm glad that this was the smallest space available to her, so she had to stock wine as well as beer. Since I'd just come from Wine Outlet -- where I picked up some Chateauneuf du Pape for a birthday present and some (premier cru -- so fancy looking!) Chablis to bring to a dinner tonight -- I did not buy any wine, even though all bottles here are priced under $30.



FYI -- she also carries small selection of non-alcoholic beverages, including N/A beer, Reed's extra ginger beer, Crater Lake root beer (made with cane sugar), and a couple other small-production sodas.

I didn't peruse the large beer selection too closely, but I did notice some oddball stuff, like a beer from Croatia.





Erica opened the back door of her shop to the place next door, also owned by her landlord, John Bennett. It's a cool private space where he keeps his jukebox collection and other coin-op stuff. He sometimes opens it up for public events, like this Art Attack. They were still setting up a barbecue out back but he let me wander around and take photos.























Damn, that BBQ picture is making me hungry.

I also dropped by Georgetown Tile Works and saw a really cool leather bag by a local artist who used to work down at All City. She incorporates metal art into her handiwork. I wish I'd taken a photo. I also went to George to get a birthday card and saw some really reasonably priced paintings on old windows. The cityscape one with the Christmas lights behind it looked especially cool.

OK, I'm going to get ready for dinner now. My neighbor Lisa-Marie is going to Art Attack tonight and she said she'd send me more photos and a report. You should go too. It's really, really nice out there.

"The Original Rainier Brewery"

Sabey's posted the renderings of the Stock House replacement ("the Ice House") on their site and announced a name for the entire complex.

I wasn't crazy about this brand-new old-style building before, but seeing it next to the words "The Original Rainier Brewery" pretty much makes me want to puke my pants.



Sabey VP Jim Harmon points out: "Since original can mean first or historic, or it can mean unique or different, it seems like this is a fine name for the property."

On the other hand, one could argue that since Sabey demolished a building that was historic and unique and is replacing it with something that is neither, that maybe it's not so fine a name.

But, as with the entire project, it is what it is.

After 50 Years of Toxic Dumping in Georgetown, GE Agrees to Do a Study

From yesterday's Seattle Times:

GE to consider cleanup options

The General Electric Co. has agreed to study cleanup options for contaminated soil, groundwater and indoor air at the Georgetown building the company used for decades to build and service aircraft parts.

Solvents leaked and were spilled in the building at 220 S. Dawson St., which GE used between 1949 and 1996, according to the state Department of Ecology.

Until it can get a cleanup under way, the company is running a system of sump pumps and fans to capture and vent pollutants.

Documents connected with the cleanup are available at www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/hwtr/foia/index.html, at the New Holly Library at 7058 32nd Ave. S., or by appointment at the Ecology Department's regional office at 3190 160th Ave. S.E. in Bellevue. Call 425-649-7190 for scheduling.

The public may comment by April 25 to Dean Yasuda at the Ecology Department: 425-649-7264 or dyas461@ecy.wa.gov, or by mail.

Introducing the Ice House

Today Sabey unveiled its plans for the building that will replace the demolished Stock House in the Rainier Cold Storage Complex in Georgetown. It will house six shops/restaurants, and they're now looking for tenants to fill those spaces.



Sabey and Johnson Architects seemed to have taken the community's comments to heart -- they came up with a building with the bricks and arches that everyone was asking for. And, honestly, on its own, I think it's kind of cute. (And I'd dance a jig in the street if this was replacing one of the godawful buildings up here at Beacon and Columbian.)





But I still worry what it will look like next to the real deal. You don't get any sense of that from the two photos above, or this crude rendering of all the buildings lined up on the street together. (This drawing includes an old section of wall that may or may not be saved, while the drawings above do not. If they have to keep the wall, they will construct a new building behind it.)



The bricks, very similar but not quite the same. The arches, very similar but not quite the same. I'm not loving it. But I think the neighbors will be relieved that nothing crazy will be going up there. And that's good.

Update: Here's the P-I story about this.

Theatre Off Jackson Not Buying Eagles Building

The cool folks at Theatre Off Jackson will not be buying the Eagles Aerie #1 building in Georgetown. From this afternoon's e-mail:

Hello Neighbors,

It is with much sadness that we make this announcement. Theatre Off
Jackson is no longer pursuing the purchase of the Eagles Building.

As many of you know, the Theatre Off Jackson (TOJ) has wanted to
relocate or expand to Georgetown ever since Patti and I moved to the
neighborhood 2 years ago. When the Eagles property at the corner of
Michigan and Corson became available last summer, we saw an
opportunity to make our dream a reality.

With much help, we pulled together a team to win the bidding
competition and successfully contracted to purchase the property in
November. In the last several months, we completed our review of
the building and all of the legal details associated with it. We
have also been making efforts to raise funds for the purchase and
have attempted to negotiate with others interested in sharing the
property with us.

We are very sorry to announce that TOJ has not been able to secure
the necessary funding to move forward with the purchase of the
Eagles property. Despite our best efforts, this particular project
proved to be too ambitious for an organization of our size.

We are still committed to owning a home in Georgetown, and will
regroup to build support before seeking out another property. Of
course we are incredibly disappointed that we could not secure that
particular corner for both the theater community and the
neighborhood. A non-profit arts organization would have been an
exciting addition to Georgetown and, we think, a great asset to the
community.

On behalf of TOJ's staff and Board of Directors, we offer a
heartfelt thank you to everyone who has offered support and
donations. Special thanks go to Sabey Corporation (especially Jim
Harmon) for being so generous with their time and mentorship. Their
contributions are invaluable, and we consider ourselves extremely
fortunate to have received their advice and guidance. We are also
grateful for the efforts of Kathy Nyland (of Georgetown), Keri Healy
(of Printer's Devil Theater) and Robin Tomazic (of Remax): all
offered their time and talents to make this project happen.

We have learned much and come farther than we could have imagined a
year ago, and have contributed to the much needed city-wide
discussion about preserving arts space for small organizations. We
look forward to helping solve this issue in the future – by securing
a permanent home for the countless independent arts groups that are
using TOJ and creating a permanent addition to Georgetown to nurture
theater and community.

Thank you,
Amanda Slepski
Theatre Off Jackson

Developer Follow-up (Beacon Ventures, Sabey)

1. The Beacon Ventures folks still have not responded to my Saturday e-mail about when they plan to paint out the graffiti I originally alerted them to in mid-February.

2. Jim Harmon did write me back about my Friday e-mail about which "historical preservation principles" made saving the freestanding Brew House wall undesirable.

It's the piece of wall sticking out here in this photo I took in January:



From his Friday e-mail to the neighborhood:

Regarding where we are, the demolition of the Stock House will be
completed in the next few weeks. We have not reached a conclusion as to what to do about the remaining façade wall attached to the Brew House. While that wall does not pose an impending danger like the Stock House did, it does pose the matter of design and cost, as it looked to be several million dollars to retain it. In our discussions with the Landmarks Preservation Board, certain members expressed their desire to keep this façade. Additionally, certain neighborhood members expressed their concern and very much wanted to keep it. However, landmarks regulations recognize that the preservation of certain landmarked elements may be uneconomical and can grant an exception to the preservation rule. Our assertion is that it is not only uneconomic, but that it is undesirable from a design and historic standpoint (and there are certain historic preservation principles that this is based upon).

And from his response to me:

In response to your questions, the principle in question is termed façadism. Below are excerpts from submittals we previously made to the Landmarks Board and posted on our website:

* “We do not believe that retaining this wall is true to historic preservation and constitutes façadism since there is no structure behind it, historic or otherwise. We understand there to be divergent opinions, but façadism is not supported by many and is contrary to federal and local tax incentives, further indication of its standing.”

* “...we do not believe that retaining the North Wall is within the spirit of historic preservation as it constitutes façadism[1], and we see the removal of that wall as an opportunity to open the remaining historic structures to sight from Airport Way as well as reasonable vehicular access into the historic areas.”

* "[1] This point is emphasized by the fact that significant tax incentives are provided to retain historic structures by both federal income tax and local real estate tax credits; however, no such economic incentives are provided for retaining a building façade."

It’s also referred to as facadomy. See Wikipedia reference and citings here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facadism.

Hmm. I'm no expert, but that Wikipedia link about facadism seems to suggest that preservationists believe that maintaining an entire building is preferable to maintaining just a facade. However, it does NOT seem to suggest that preservationists believe that destroying an existing freestanding facade is preferable to maintaining it. Maybe someone more knowledgeable about historical preservation would like to weigh in?

[Update/sidenote: Here's a 3/25/08 Crosscut article about Seattle's historical landmark designation process.]

3rd Annual Georgetown Super 8 Film Festival on 4/19

Mark your calendars:

The 3rd Annual Georgetown Super 8 Film Festival

This year 75 filmmakers are busy creating short films of epic proportions to
share with you. Over half of these people are your neighbors and the rest
come here to work and play. Come share in their artistic creations.

When: Saturday, April 19th
Where: Rainier Cold Storage Building, 5790 Airport Way South
Time: Doors open at 6pm, Films begin 6:30pm
Suggested Donation: $5, no one turned away for lack of funds

Stock House Replacement Plans to Be Unveiled 3/27 and 3/38

Sabey has decided not to hold another public meeting but to meet with individuals privately about the new designs. The claim is that this will allow more people to stop by when they like and give their input, but I feel that something will be lost with this approach. Community meetings allow people to hear what other people have to say, and they also give people the opportunity to observe quietly if they prefer. (It also provides people with a good excuse to get together with their neighbors for a beer before or after the meeting.) Showing up at a developer's office and personally asking to see designs take a little more guts, I think.

In any case, this will all go through the public design review process, so there will definitely be public meetings in the future.

I'll plan to take a look at the designs on Thursday and post pictures, if they'll let me, that evening.

Anyway, here's the Sabey mail about all this. It sounds like the wall attached to the Brew House might be saved after all, which is cool:

Hi All:

Well, it has been awhile, but we are finally ready to present our
plans for the building to replace the Stock House. We attempted to
reflect comments from the neighborhood and to improve the building
design both from a utilitarian and aesthetic standpoint. Hopefully,
you'll agree. Rather than having a big meeting, we'll simply have
open hours for people to stop by. This will allow for more leeway in
people's schedules as well as a greater opportunity to respond to
questions. Therefore, we will be available on Mar 27 & 28 from 4 to
6:30pm at our office on the backside of the General Office right
across the street from the 9 lb Hammer and Smarty Pants (6004 Airport
Way). We'll have various perspectives to help you understand the
design along with several people to explain it.

These plans will continue to flex as we move forward because of
design adjustments and changes required by the City and others. The
City will need to issue a Master Use Permit (MUP) and a Construction
Permit. The MUP relates to the use of the building (in this case,
office and retail). It focuses on the parking, traffic, site, etc.
requirements of the use proposed. These requirements aren't
generally difficult for a fairly self-contained development of this
size. Therefore, so we don't have to re-file every time there's a
small change, we try to show maximum use and impacts at the outset.
Our MUP application will be submitted shortly and will take about 6
months or more to be issued. A separate Construction Permit will
require what are called 75% drawings for the plan reviewers to go
through them in detail. These plans will go through design review
from the Landmarks Preservation Board. All of this will involve
public notice and input should you care to formally participate.
There will be notices posted on site regarding this. From an
informal standpoint, please feel free to share your feedback with us
for ongoing design consideration.

Regarding where we are, the demolition of the Stock House will be
completed in the next few weeks. We have not reached a conclusion as
to what to do about the remaining façade wall attached to the Brew
House. While that wall does not pose an impending danger like the
Stock House did, it does pose the matter of design and cost, as it
looked to be several million dollars to retain it. In our
discussions with the Landmarks Preservation Board, certain members
expressed their desire to keep this façade. Additionally, certain
neighborhood members expressed their concern and very much wanted to
keep it. However, landmarks regulations recognize that the
preservation of certain landmarked elements may be uneconomical and
can grant an exception to the preservation rule. Our assertion is
that it is not only uneconomic, but that it is undesirable from a
design and historic standpoint (and there are certain historic
preservation principles that this is based upon). However, in light
of the response and additional time, we are reviewing our plan for
both the wall and the Brew House to see if they can be economically
redeveloped together. The key here is the structural engineering.
We are midway on this process as we have been very much focused on
the Stock House's replacement. We will report back on this at a
later time.

So, there you go. We'll look forward to seeing you on the 27th or
28th. If those dates don't work, please contact me and we'll find
some alternative times after that. Also, the plans et al will be
posted on our website once we've had an opportunity to present them
to the community.

Thank you all,

Jim Harmon | SABEY CORPORATION
ph 206 281 8700 | email jimh@sabey.com | website www.sabey.com

Georgetown: "On-the-Verge Nabe"

It really is over, isn't it?

DailyCandy, originally a mailing list for pampered Manhattanites but now available in most rich American cities, has declared Georgetown an "on-the-verge nabe."

Late Afternoon Snack in Georgetown

I really wanted a Chopper from Smarty Pants but settled for a Southwest Chop Salad from Taco Time.





Taco Time's Southwest Chop Salad only contains 189 calories per 12-ounce serving (not including dressing). I'm not sure how many servings this is.



In any case, it's a very lonely meal.

Two Photos: Beacon Hill, Georgetown

I didn't have my good camera on me, but I liked the light.

The view from the Beacon Hill Library parking lot.



The Stock House.

Prostitution on Beacon Hill, Then and Now

I was just browsing HistoryLink and came across this South End story.

On August 13, 1951, a B-50 “Superfortress” bomber develops engine trouble immediately after taking off from Boeing Field. The plane glances off the Sicks’ Seattle Brewing and Malting Company and slams into nearby Lester Apartments on Beacon Hill, killing 11 people and injuring 11 others.

Sicks' Seattle Brewing and Malting Company is, of course, the Rainier Cold Storage complex on Airport Way.

[Correction: The picture of the Rainier Cold Storage Stock House on the HistoryLink page led me to believe that the bomber grazed that one of the buildings in that complex. However, Jim Harmon of Sabey Corporation (current owners of the property) and other commenters have posted that they believe the plane hit the building that is now Tully's roasting plant, up the street.]

And Lester Apartments? Apparently it was once the world's largest bordello, right here on Beacon Hill.





From the same HistoryLink essay:

Unbeknownst to many, the tragic crash also brought an end to a piece of Seattle’s more infamous past. The Lester Apartments, for years a home for working-class families and fixed-income residents, had an unseemly history that was rarely discussed by the few who remembered it.

In 1910, Hiram Gill (1866-1919) was elected mayor of Seattle in an administration rife with corruption. Gill’s chief of police, Charles Wappenstein, cut a deal with two vice-lords wherein he received $10 a month for each of the approximately 500 prostitutes in Seattle. Business was so good that the men began building a 500-room brothel on the western slope of Beacon Hill to further pad their bank accounts.

A “friendly” City Council cut the builders some slack and gave them a 15-year lease. By the time construction was complete, the local citizenry had had enough of such blatant debauchery at such a high level of office, and a recall petition was circulated against the mayor. Gill was turned out of office -- he was elected again in 1914 after vowing to crack down on vice -- and Wappenstein was sent to the state penitentiary.

What was once proclaimed the largest bordello in the world fell into disuse. Later, the 500 “cribs” were combined into multi-room apartments, and the building’s proximity to Boeing Field led many workers to take up residence there, especially during World War II. Few knew of the building’s history. At some point, it was renamed the Lester Apartments. They were destroyed in the maelstrom on August 13, 1951.

In more recent Beacon Hill prostitution news, the Beacon Lights blogger posted yesterday about the "angels of the morning" who live in our neighborhood.

Neighborhood Notes

Full Throttle Bottles is open for business! The grand opening event won't be held for another week or so, but Full Throttle Bottles, a new beer and wine shop, has soft-launched. Come by and say hi to Erika, Mike, or Aimee (but not today, as they're closed on Mondays). 5909 Airport Way South.

What's up at 13th and Shelton? Has anyone heard about a little cafe and theater that will be going into the old deVos corner store at 13th and Shelton? Do tell!

Whatever happened to Rainier Valley? A reader points out that the P-I has renamed it.

Grow in Georgetown. The Oxbow P-patch has Oxbow P-patch, right by the Hat and Boots, has a few open spots. Sign up for one.

Swing and eat in Georgetown. Somewhere in Time, Unlimited (SITU), a local historic costumed group, will host a 1920's Prohibition era dance with potluck dinner Sunday, March 30th, 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, at the Georgetown Ballroom, 5625 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA 98108. Music to be provided by Chicago 7 (of Beacon Hill), and dances will include the Charleston, tango, Lindy Hop and other early swing dances. Dinner will be potluck, and guests are encouraged to bring a dish fitting the theme. Come in your best flapper dress or zoot suit, as a movie starlet or gentleman in disguise. Cost is $20 for SITU members and $25 for non-members. Non-members may join SITU for $10 per person or household, per year; check the website www.SITUSeattle.com or call Rita Harris at 206-720-7606 for a membership form and instructions on where to send it.

9 Lb. Hammer has a little sister in South Park. The 9 Lb. Hammer folks have just opened Loretta's, a steakhouse and bar at 8617 14th Avenue S. The Seattle Weekly likes it.

Morning in Georgetown

I'm taking the day off today, to go to the garden show and just screw around. Started with breakfast in Georgetown.

Guess where I'm headed.



I finally meet Justin, who tells me about a Dine for Darfur event they're participating in on March 4. He hasn't created the menu yet, but if I find out what it is, I will tell you.