West Seattle Wednesday: Youth-basketball signups; ex-substations’ future; ‘The Taming’; landmark nomination…

West Seattle’s mysterious Golden Pheasant has surfaced again! Joan Miller shared the photo this morning, saying that after the bird appeared in her yard near Camp Long on Tuesday, a neighbor told her about the April sighting mentioned here on WSB. Escaped pet? We may never know. Anyway, today’s calendar items are not so mysterious … highlights include:

BASKETBALL SIGNUPS: It’s the second day of basketball signups for youth basketball at Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities. $65/child, with practices starting in late November, games starting first week in January, ages 8-17. See the West Seattle Community Centers‘ combined fall brochure for more info.

LIBRARIES CLOSED: As mentioned here yesterday, all Seattle Public Library facilities around the city are closed today for an in-service day. They will reopen tomorrow.

‘LISTENING MOTHERS’ GROUP: Eight-week class for mothers of babies up to 6 months old begins today at The Cove School – details in our calendar listing. 1-2:30 pm. (3430 California SW)

LANDMARK CONSIDERATION: The city Landmarks Board meeting at 3:30 pm today downtown includes consideration of a landmark nomination for the 61-year-old building on a future development site at 3219 California SW:

The notice is here; the nomination documentation is here. (700 5th Ave., 40th floor)

MAYOR NICKELS, WSB EDITOR ON ‘CIVIC COCKTAIL’: If you’re going to be downtown this evening and interested in a discussion of civic issues, consider being part of the audience for “Civic Cocktail” at the Palace Ballroom, doors at 5:30/event at 6 pm, with former Mayor Greg Nickels on the dignitaries’ panel and your editor on the journalist panel. CityClub co-presents “Civic Cocktail,” and requests advance registration – details on their website. (2100 5th Avenue)

DANCE WITH LAUREN PETRIE: The popular musician’s next dance is 6-8 pm tonight at the Senior Center of West Seattle – details in our calendar listing. (California/Oregon)

CITY LIGHT PROPERTIES HEARING: Got an opinion on what Seattle City Light should do with the former substation sites on this map?

Tonight’s the one and only formal public hearing in West Seattle before City Light makes recommendations that will eventually go to the City Council. More info on the sites is here; speak out between 6:30 and 8:30 pm at High Point Community Center. (6920 34th SW)

SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: 6:30 pm at Southwest Teen Life Center, reps from community councils and other key organizations around western West Seattle – which the city designates the Southwest District – meet, with an agenda including City Councilmember Tim Burgess talking about the city-budget process (he chairs the Budget Committee). Everyone’s welcome. (2801 SW Thistle)

WEST SEATTLE WOMEN IN CHARGE: Fall meeting tonight for this organization geared toward local women who own/run businesses – details in our calendar listing. 7 pm at Mind Unwind. (2206 California SW)

‘THE TAMING’ OPENS AT ARTSWEST: Lauren Gunderson‘s “The Taming“ opens tonight, in a co-world-premiere presentation; curtain’s at 7:30 pm. (4711 California SW)

WS Taxpayer October 2, 2013 (10:17 am)

Noble effort by the team to block the re-development of the 3219 California SW site, but seriously, that building is terrible and declaring it a landmark is dooming that space to blight and any future renovation possibilities.

miws October 2, 2013 (10:37 am)

Love that classic pic with its peek-a-boo of the old Hi-Hat! :-)

Mike

old timer October 2, 2013 (11:15 am)

It looks to me that 3219 is the worst of all the specimens existing that are shown of the architect’s work.
Just where is this building in relation to the hotly contested large development in this area?
Is this an attempt to preserve a view corridor?
I have to agree with WS Taxpayer about preserving blight in perpetuity.

DRW October 2, 2013 (11:20 am)

I was so bummed when the comic store went out of the space at 3219 California.

AM October 2, 2013 (11:24 am)

Anyone else wish they would have saved the Hi Hat??! That building looked pretty neat. Cheesy, yes, but fun!

JanS October 2, 2013 (11:53 am)

Mike…that was my first thought…wow, look it’s the Hi-Hat…. :)

Neighbor October 2, 2013 (12:12 pm)

Old timer, this is part of of what will soon be the Great Tunnel of California – 4 and 5-story buildings on both sides of the street between Hanford and Hinds. The building in the picture is the one just south of Small Clothes.

Diane October 2, 2013 (12:55 pm)

cool pic (taken 1 day after my 1st bd)
~
was that whole building a Chinese diner?

Tony S October 2, 2013 (1:24 pm)

Nope — the main building set for the nomination was the office of Dr. Russ Martin, DDS, back in the 1970’s. I went to him until he sold his practice sometime in the late 70’s. That office is a very good representation of mid-century modern design; too bad it can’t be saved in some shape or form. The Hi-Hat was next door.

Lindsey October 2, 2013 (1:31 pm)

OMG that pheasant is so cool! I didn’t even know there existed such a bird.

West Seattle Since 1979 October 2, 2013 (1:57 pm)

I don’t think that building will be missed.

ws 1 October 2, 2013 (3:32 pm)

Saw this pheasant last summer in Greg Davis Park close to the West Seattle golf course, what a beautiful bird couldn’t believe my eyes.

metrognome October 2, 2013 (5:13 pm)

for those of us who haven’t lived here since nineteen and aught one, prithee share what the Hi Hat was.

miws October 2, 2013 (5:41 pm)

metrognome, it was a Chinese Restaurant, in the adjoining building to the south, of the building that’s proposed for Landmark Status.

The thing that stands out most in my memory of it, as a young kid in the ’60’s, were the tableside jukeboxes like what Luna Park Cafe has.

Mike

Ajax October 2, 2013 (7:27 pm)

I love mid-century architecture and that building is run-down but could be restored, but there seems to be very little interest in mid-century preservation in Seattle. I’ve noticed that Cayce & Gain seem to own a lot of these types of properties (story yesterday about California and Seattle 4-plex is an example). I guess they buy them cheap, let them get really run down, then demolish them for new development.

Beth October 2, 2013 (7:28 pm)

That’s the most beautiful bird I’ve ever seen. Is it really a pheasant?

WS neighbor October 2, 2013 (8:09 pm)

OMG! I saw this beautiful bird one early morning last February next to Sanislo Elementary. I was amazed but didn’t have a camera with me—and have been trying to describe it to people for months and starting to think I was hallucinating. I figured it must be an escaped pet since it’s SO not a NW bird. Hope it survives our climate.