Still there! I feel sorry for all the dwarfs working on the exterior today, as the weather is full-on crappy.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
McGuire Scaffold-Watch! Week: ???? + 4
Still there! I feel sorry for all the dwarfs working on the exterior today, as the weather is full-on crappy.
Here's a Theory
Consider this: Nobody lives on
Ah, 6th! Belltown's parking lot. Nothing much happens on you.
You don't have much traffic, graffiti or crazy people. In fact, nobody lives on you in Belltown. Not a single person. That's probably because there's nowhere to live. There are a couple of office buildings along the way. This is the Blanchard Plaza at 6th & Blachard:
I find it kind of interesting. Directly across the street stands another office building whose entire exterior is apparently composed on small bathroom tiles. It's kind of boring to look at, so I didn't take any pictures of it.
"But wait," you say, "What about the Archstone at 6th & Wall? That's on 6th! People live there!"
Right, but The Archstone (formerly the Grosvenor) is on Wall. That's its official address. Lots of people live on 6th downtown, but nobody - absolutely no one - lives on the Belltown portion of it. Incidentally, as the Grosvenor this building was noted for its overwhelmingly elderly population. With the change in name and a rather hopeful poster campaign, it seems that they're looking for more youthful tenants. I say good luck. Making the Grosvenor/Archstone young 'n' hip is about as much of a challenge as making 3rd Avenue non-ghetto.
As long as we're talking about population density by street, I'd have to say that it's a toss-up between Western and 2nd for most densely populated, followed by 1st and 4th, then 5th, lowly 3rd and lastly, by 6th.
So if somebody tries to sell you a condo on 6th in Belltown, you're probably getting ripped off.
Ah, 6th! Belltown's parking lot. Nothing much happens on you.
You don't have much traffic, graffiti or crazy people. In fact, nobody lives on you in Belltown. Not a single person. That's probably because there's nowhere to live. There are a couple of office buildings along the way. This is the Blanchard Plaza at 6th & Blachard:
I find it kind of interesting. Directly across the street stands another office building whose entire exterior is apparently composed on small bathroom tiles. It's kind of boring to look at, so I didn't take any pictures of it.
"But wait," you say, "What about the Archstone at 6th & Wall? That's on 6th! People live there!"
Right, but The Archstone (formerly the Grosvenor) is on Wall. That's its official address. Lots of people live on 6th downtown, but nobody - absolutely no one - lives on the Belltown portion of it. Incidentally, as the Grosvenor this building was noted for its overwhelmingly elderly population. With the change in name and a rather hopeful poster campaign, it seems that they're looking for more youthful tenants. I say good luck. Making the Grosvenor/Archstone young 'n' hip is about as much of a challenge as making 3rd Avenue non-ghetto.
As long as we're talking about population density by street, I'd have to say that it's a toss-up between Western and 2nd for most densely populated, followed by 1st and 4th, then 5th, lowly 3rd and lastly, by 6th.
So if somebody tries to sell you a condo on 6th in Belltown, you're probably getting ripped off.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Sin of Omission - 1
There are plenty of ugly things around Belltown. They're the reason I started this blog. The fact that intelligent, rational people designed and built glaring eyesores around this neighborhood is something I find very interesting. But there are also things that contribute to Belltown's unsightliness: things that aren't there. Please join me for some recent history.
The Speakeasy opened up in 1995 in an old two-story brick building at the corner of 2nd & Bell. Upstairs was the gloriously dingy 211 Club, the only place in Seattle to play serious pool, and occupying the storefront on the Bell side was a construction salvage company. It was much more than a cafe with lots of space, it also offered computers and instruction on how to use them. Back in 1995, there really was no such thing as an "internet cafe." The Speakeasy was the first of its kind almost anywhere. Behind its retail operation was the company's main business as an internet service provider. It was a pretty brilliant idea; people could come into the cafe, have a coffee and a bagel, use a computer to figure out what this newfangled internet-thing was all about and if they found it sufficiently intriguing, they could choose Speakeasy as their ISP and keep coming in, checking email and getting net literate, all for a reasonable price. There was no need to invest a substantial sum into buying a computer. There were lots of them just down the street.
Over the next few years, the Speakeasy became the social hub of the neighborhood. Even I, antisocial as I am, found myself hanging out there several times a week. I'd see everybody there: friends, neighbors, minor celebrities and a whole range of seemingly interesting people. There were three main groups of people who showed up regularly at the cafe: art people, advocacy people and computer geeks. Me, I was unaffiliated, so I just watched everybody come and go. Besides computers and computer classes, the place also had art shows and featured a wide variety of performances in the back room. If nothing was going on at the Speakeasy, then you could always head upstairs and play pool at the 211. All the while Speakeasy ISP was growing by leaps and bounds while the tech bubble inflated.
By 2000, Speakeasy had grown into a major operation, but it occupied three or four smaller places around the neighborhood. This is because Belltown lacked the kind of major office space to house mid-sized thriving concerns. In a bold move, the Speakeasy powers bought out the 211 Club and made plans to put their customer service call center in that space. True, it was a sad day for me when the 211 closed its doors and auctioned off all their tables, but their hearts weren't in it any more. They told me as much. Through early 2001, there was a lot of work done to transform the upstairs from pool hall to call center. By May, it was done. I didn't see the space, but I was told that it was very cool.
Well, on May 18th, 2001, mere days from the beginning of call center operations, the Speakeasy caught fire:
The official cause was faulty wiring on the second floor, though arson rumors persist to this day. After the fire, we were treated to this burned-out hulk for the next few years:
(Note: all three previous photos were taken by the lovely Clark Humphrey)
While the gutted building was still standing, there was always a question of whether it would ever be rebuilt. Some weeks I heard yes, other weeks no. This seemed a legitimate topic of speculation until heavy equipment showed up and tore the ruins down in 2004.
What remains is this:
It's just an empty lot with a fence around it.
About a year ago, some dumbass thought it was really important to leave that "Jeans" mega-tag.
More emptiness...
This is about where the front entrance used to be.
This bit of improvised Space Needle isn't really comforting, given what the Speakeasy had to offer. One thing's for sure, Belltown hasn't been the same since then.
Now it's 2009. The Speakeasy has been dead (8 years) longer that than it was originally alive (6 years). Its regular patrons, with few exceptions, have scattered to other environs. The Speakeasy ISP continued on, though, taking offices down on Western Avenue and weathering the tech crash. In 2007, they sold out to Best Buy. The price tag was $97 million.
Given the choice, I'd rather have the Speakeasy rebuilt and running. Barring that, the charred ruins are a distant second. I don't think anyone likes the ugly vacant lot. It's like a missing tooth in an otherwise passable smile. It really is one of the least attractive parts of Belltown. Every time I walk by it, I think: "Bring on the ugly condos! Just put something there!"
The Speakeasy opened up in 1995 in an old two-story brick building at the corner of 2nd & Bell. Upstairs was the gloriously dingy 211 Club, the only place in Seattle to play serious pool, and occupying the storefront on the Bell side was a construction salvage company. It was much more than a cafe with lots of space, it also offered computers and instruction on how to use them. Back in 1995, there really was no such thing as an "internet cafe." The Speakeasy was the first of its kind almost anywhere. Behind its retail operation was the company's main business as an internet service provider. It was a pretty brilliant idea; people could come into the cafe, have a coffee and a bagel, use a computer to figure out what this newfangled internet-thing was all about and if they found it sufficiently intriguing, they could choose Speakeasy as their ISP and keep coming in, checking email and getting net literate, all for a reasonable price. There was no need to invest a substantial sum into buying a computer. There were lots of them just down the street.
Over the next few years, the Speakeasy became the social hub of the neighborhood. Even I, antisocial as I am, found myself hanging out there several times a week. I'd see everybody there: friends, neighbors, minor celebrities and a whole range of seemingly interesting people. There were three main groups of people who showed up regularly at the cafe: art people, advocacy people and computer geeks. Me, I was unaffiliated, so I just watched everybody come and go. Besides computers and computer classes, the place also had art shows and featured a wide variety of performances in the back room. If nothing was going on at the Speakeasy, then you could always head upstairs and play pool at the 211. All the while Speakeasy ISP was growing by leaps and bounds while the tech bubble inflated.
By 2000, Speakeasy had grown into a major operation, but it occupied three or four smaller places around the neighborhood. This is because Belltown lacked the kind of major office space to house mid-sized thriving concerns. In a bold move, the Speakeasy powers bought out the 211 Club and made plans to put their customer service call center in that space. True, it was a sad day for me when the 211 closed its doors and auctioned off all their tables, but their hearts weren't in it any more. They told me as much. Through early 2001, there was a lot of work done to transform the upstairs from pool hall to call center. By May, it was done. I didn't see the space, but I was told that it was very cool.
Well, on May 18th, 2001, mere days from the beginning of call center operations, the Speakeasy caught fire:
The official cause was faulty wiring on the second floor, though arson rumors persist to this day. After the fire, we were treated to this burned-out hulk for the next few years:
(Note: all three previous photos were taken by the lovely Clark Humphrey)
While the gutted building was still standing, there was always a question of whether it would ever be rebuilt. Some weeks I heard yes, other weeks no. This seemed a legitimate topic of speculation until heavy equipment showed up and tore the ruins down in 2004.
What remains is this:
It's just an empty lot with a fence around it.
About a year ago, some dumbass thought it was really important to leave that "Jeans" mega-tag.
More emptiness...
This is about where the front entrance used to be.
This bit of improvised Space Needle isn't really comforting, given what the Speakeasy had to offer. One thing's for sure, Belltown hasn't been the same since then.
Now it's 2009. The Speakeasy has been dead (8 years) longer that than it was originally alive (6 years). Its regular patrons, with few exceptions, have scattered to other environs. The Speakeasy ISP continued on, though, taking offices down on Western Avenue and weathering the tech crash. In 2007, they sold out to Best Buy. The price tag was $97 million.
Given the choice, I'd rather have the Speakeasy rebuilt and running. Barring that, the charred ruins are a distant second. I don't think anyone likes the ugly vacant lot. It's like a missing tooth in an otherwise passable smile. It really is one of the least attractive parts of Belltown. Every time I walk by it, I think: "Bring on the ugly condos! Just put something there!"
Monday, May 4, 2009
New Construction in Belltown
Ten years ago, construction cranes towered over Belltown like a flock of huge, curious birds. Those times are gone. Like the rest of the country, the economy around here is also in the toilet. But there were a few projects lucky enough to secure financing before things got really dark. Now that they're nearly finished, the big challenge is to sell what they've got. That's gonna be a pretty tall order.
There are only two active projects in Belltown at the moment: the Alex and the Escala. Both are condos. Every other project is dead. It's possible that nothing new will be built for years. That's actually a pretty exciting prospect, because I'd like to see the neighborhood experience an eighties-style period of neglect when nothing got built, rents actually fell and interesting things were happening around here. Maybe it's naive of me to think that the past 30 years can be erased so easily, but it has always seemed to me that Belltown was more exciting before I got here in 1990. Funny thing, though, it was no less ugly back then than it is today; it was just a different kind of ugly. But I digress.
OK, let's take a look at those shiny, new buildings. We'll start with the Alex at 1st & Bell:
That's the Alex towering over the Apex, its neighbor in the foreground. The Apex has been there for decades. I guess it's what you'd call a cooperative or communal building; your room is tiny, the bathroom is down the hall, label your food and you'd better wash your dishes or bad stuff will go down. I've been there several times. They have an awesome roof deck, but otherwise this type living scenario seems like quite a nightmare. Yes, I like to interact with my neighbors; I just don't want to do it while I'm in the bathroom. Belltown is the most densely populated neighborhood in Seattle (though it never seems like it), so I guess I truly value my privacy. Anyhow, I digress again. Here are more shots of the Alex:
Taking advantage of new zoning laws, the Alex was built on a sliver of parking lot.
This shot is from Western Ave. The Apex is this hive of little rooms. Lots of people live there. The Alex, on the other hand, only has 32 units. Honestly, I don't see how they're gonna make money. I hope they've got it figured out.
Next up is the massive Escala at 4th & Virginia. Actually, they call themselves "Escala Midtown." I got news for you guys; there is no "Midtown" in Seattle. You're in Belltown. Get used to it and quit sounding ridiculous.
Yes, it's very big and charmless. And once they get it all finished, it may prove to be quite ugly.
The challenge here is the same as at the Alex: to sell units. Except with the Escala, they have to sell a lot more. Well, let's wish them luck.
Like I said, once these buildings are finished, that's it. Belltown will be project-free for months, perhaps years. I predict a golden age of stagnation!
There are only two active projects in Belltown at the moment: the Alex and the Escala. Both are condos. Every other project is dead. It's possible that nothing new will be built for years. That's actually a pretty exciting prospect, because I'd like to see the neighborhood experience an eighties-style period of neglect when nothing got built, rents actually fell and interesting things were happening around here. Maybe it's naive of me to think that the past 30 years can be erased so easily, but it has always seemed to me that Belltown was more exciting before I got here in 1990. Funny thing, though, it was no less ugly back then than it is today; it was just a different kind of ugly. But I digress.
OK, let's take a look at those shiny, new buildings. We'll start with the Alex at 1st & Bell:
That's the Alex towering over the Apex, its neighbor in the foreground. The Apex has been there for decades. I guess it's what you'd call a cooperative or communal building; your room is tiny, the bathroom is down the hall, label your food and you'd better wash your dishes or bad stuff will go down. I've been there several times. They have an awesome roof deck, but otherwise this type living scenario seems like quite a nightmare. Yes, I like to interact with my neighbors; I just don't want to do it while I'm in the bathroom. Belltown is the most densely populated neighborhood in Seattle (though it never seems like it), so I guess I truly value my privacy. Anyhow, I digress again. Here are more shots of the Alex:
Taking advantage of new zoning laws, the Alex was built on a sliver of parking lot.
This shot is from Western Ave. The Apex is this hive of little rooms. Lots of people live there. The Alex, on the other hand, only has 32 units. Honestly, I don't see how they're gonna make money. I hope they've got it figured out.
Next up is the massive Escala at 4th & Virginia. Actually, they call themselves "Escala Midtown." I got news for you guys; there is no "Midtown" in Seattle. You're in Belltown. Get used to it and quit sounding ridiculous.
Yes, it's very big and charmless. And once they get it all finished, it may prove to be quite ugly.
The challenge here is the same as at the Alex: to sell units. Except with the Escala, they have to sell a lot more. Well, let's wish them luck.
Like I said, once these buildings are finished, that's it. Belltown will be project-free for months, perhaps years. I predict a golden age of stagnation!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Nature's Bounty of Belltown Road Projects
I wish I could deliver breaking news, but things are very much like they were last week. Your 4th Avenue is still kind of a mess:
Here's 4th & Stewart. There isn't any roadwork going on here; they're just delivering drywall to the Escala.
This is something kind of new at 4th & Lenora. They really did a number on the sidewalk.
And finally, they're still using the 4th & Blanchard area as their supply dump (and I do mean dump), but there isn't much of anything past Bell.
And for another week, the big hole in the sidewalk at 2nd & Bell remains.
They don't seem to be doing anything here.
Oh, but there is something new! It's a big hole in the sidewalk (covered over with steel plates, of course) at 5th & Bell:
In fact, there are lots of plate-covered holes along Bell all the way from 5th to 2nd. Steel plates are not very photogenic, so I didn't bother taking pictures of them.
Anyhow, those are your Belltown road projects for this week.
Here's 4th & Stewart. There isn't any roadwork going on here; they're just delivering drywall to the Escala.
This is something kind of new at 4th & Lenora. They really did a number on the sidewalk.
And finally, they're still using the 4th & Blanchard area as their supply dump (and I do mean dump), but there isn't much of anything past Bell.
And for another week, the big hole in the sidewalk at 2nd & Bell remains.
They don't seem to be doing anything here.
Oh, but there is something new! It's a big hole in the sidewalk (covered over with steel plates, of course) at 5th & Bell:
In fact, there are lots of plate-covered holes along Bell all the way from 5th to 2nd. Steel plates are not very photogenic, so I didn't bother taking pictures of them.
Anyhow, those are your Belltown road projects for this week.
Coming Soon to the Moore!
Golly, the Moore's wordplay expert must be on vacation. It's like: "Yeah, last week we had music. This week we have more music. Go to hell." Frankly, I'd be totally satisfied with "Moore Music." Wouldn't you?
This concert is supposed to feature a bevy of promising teenage musicians. Plus, they're bringing in some buskers from around the Market. My experience with those guys is that they sound so much better playing on the street. Put them onstage and they lose a step or two. In all, this whole concert sounds uncertain and terrible. I would recommend taking lots of drugs before attending.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Trash Patrol!
Today I decided to exhibit my rarely-seen civic spirit in the form of helping to clean up Belltown. It's the first time I've ever done this. Yeah, it's taken 19 whole years for me to attempt to beautify my ugly, ugly neighborhood. It all started at the Mars Hill Church on Western & Battery. Before becoming a church, it was a club that the cops shut down because of frequent idiotic gunplay. And before that, it was a depressingly anonymous office building. I got assigned to a group that was working in the immediate vicinity, they handed out gloves and we got to work.
I was initially kind of stoked about eradicating graffiti, but that job fell to the very old and the very young, so I picked up trash. Our territory stretched from Bell to Vine and Western to Alaskan Way (even though that's not Belltown). It soon became apparent that we had drawn one of the less trashy areas, if not the least trashy. We were done in less than two hours - twelve square blocks in less than two hours. We probably would have been done even faster if it hadn't been raining. During the whole operation, I got a chance to chat with my fellow trashers. They were a decent bunch. I'm glad I did this. And I didn't tell anybody about this blog. It just would have confused them.
I left as soon as we were done and headed back up to 2nd & Blanchard. I met another crew there. They were having a really tough time. It turns out that this area was the trashiest and most graffiti-ridden of all. Wow, big surprise there. So those poor souls were pressing on with their grim task and I was free as a bird. Funny thing, it's been about four hours since we wrapped things up. I was just walking around outside and you really can't tell that any garbage was picked up at all. God knows we all tried.
Sorry for the lack of photos, but trash collection around Western Ave. is not what you'd call visually arresting. Instead, here is a shot from the Walking with Dinosaurs show I went to last night at Seattle Center:
Those are two diplodocuses (diplodocae??) walking around. They were quite huge. It was a great show.
I was initially kind of stoked about eradicating graffiti, but that job fell to the very old and the very young, so I picked up trash. Our territory stretched from Bell to Vine and Western to Alaskan Way (even though that's not Belltown). It soon became apparent that we had drawn one of the less trashy areas, if not the least trashy. We were done in less than two hours - twelve square blocks in less than two hours. We probably would have been done even faster if it hadn't been raining. During the whole operation, I got a chance to chat with my fellow trashers. They were a decent bunch. I'm glad I did this. And I didn't tell anybody about this blog. It just would have confused them.
I left as soon as we were done and headed back up to 2nd & Blanchard. I met another crew there. They were having a really tough time. It turns out that this area was the trashiest and most graffiti-ridden of all. Wow, big surprise there. So those poor souls were pressing on with their grim task and I was free as a bird. Funny thing, it's been about four hours since we wrapped things up. I was just walking around outside and you really can't tell that any garbage was picked up at all. God knows we all tried.
Sorry for the lack of photos, but trash collection around Western Ave. is not what you'd call visually arresting. Instead, here is a shot from the Walking with Dinosaurs show I went to last night at Seattle Center:
Those are two diplodocuses (diplodocae??) walking around. They were quite huge. It was a great show.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Operation Penguin
Well, today is the preview day for the new penguin habitat. It was super-crowded and packed with hysterical children, but I think I know all about Humboldt penguins now. Like all penguins, they do a lot of standing around:
And when they get tired of doing that, they swim:
That is my report on the Humboldt penguin. I swear it's all true.
I recognize this guy from my neighborhood. Like me, he's just visiting.
I also said hello to a few old friends, Mr. Giraffe:
And the Hippo Triplets:
And that is my trip to the zoo. The end.
And when they get tired of doing that, they swim:
That is my report on the Humboldt penguin. I swear it's all true.
I recognize this guy from my neighborhood. Like me, he's just visiting.
I also said hello to a few old friends, Mr. Giraffe:
And the Hippo Triplets:
And that is my trip to the zoo. The end.
Belltown Wildlife
Is there such a thing? Sure, Belltown has its share of birds. They're the usual suspects of urban landscapes: pigeons, crows, seagulls, starlings, common sparrows (my favorite) and the occasional robin that has wandered into the wrong neighborhood (this one). I was beginning to think that the only wildlife around here was in the form of mice and rats, but this winter, I began to run into squirrels all over the place. These guys were very used to humans and savvy about traffic. One day, I looked out my window and saw a squirrel in the cedar tree that blocks my light and offends my eye. The presence of that squirrel made me hate the tree just a little less. Unfortunately, the little fellow was just visiting, so I'm back to hating that cedar as much as ever.
I know that there's a small squirrel population across the Belltown border in Denny Park and why not? The trees there are huge. If I was a squirrel, I'd live there. In fact, I go to Denny Park almost every day to feed peanuts to squirrels. That's what you can do when you're unemployed - appreciate squirrels. Sure, to some people they're pests, but I think they're interesting creatures; they can climb like nobody's business and they go mental for peanuts.
I believe that squirrels live in Belltown. I'm pretty sure that there's a family of them living at 3rd & Vine, at the Vine Court. That seems to be a convenient base for them. I'm convinced that all the squirrels I saw this winter weren't simply part of the Denny Park population roaming far afield searching for food. No, I think a bunch of them live at the Vine Court. Here's my proof:
OK, so it's kind of dark and I did take it in February, but that's a squirrel hanging out at 3rd & Vine. I'm currently searching for more evidence and I'll update as necessary. As you can tell, this is a very important topic to me.
Oh, and speaking of animals, I'm off to see the new penguin habitat at the Woodland Park Zoo. Even though it has nothing to do with Belltown, I promise to post photos when I return.
I know that there's a small squirrel population across the Belltown border in Denny Park and why not? The trees there are huge. If I was a squirrel, I'd live there. In fact, I go to Denny Park almost every day to feed peanuts to squirrels. That's what you can do when you're unemployed - appreciate squirrels. Sure, to some people they're pests, but I think they're interesting creatures; they can climb like nobody's business and they go mental for peanuts.
I believe that squirrels live in Belltown. I'm pretty sure that there's a family of them living at 3rd & Vine, at the Vine Court. That seems to be a convenient base for them. I'm convinced that all the squirrels I saw this winter weren't simply part of the Denny Park population roaming far afield searching for food. No, I think a bunch of them live at the Vine Court. Here's my proof:
OK, so it's kind of dark and I did take it in February, but that's a squirrel hanging out at 3rd & Vine. I'm currently searching for more evidence and I'll update as necessary. As you can tell, this is a very important topic to me.
Oh, and speaking of animals, I'm off to see the new penguin habitat at the Woodland Park Zoo. Even though it has nothing to do with Belltown, I promise to post photos when I return.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
