FOLLOWUP: Highland Park Improvement Club partly reopens after ‘eyebrow removal’

| Highland Park | West Seattle news

(WSB photo – today)

1:24 PM: Less than 48 hours after the “eyebrow” of their historic, almost-a-century-old building fell off (WSB coverage here), members, friends, and neighbors of the Highland Park Improvement Club are hard at work getting the debris out of the way. They have enough help, they told us, to be done this afternoon; that help included neighbors who didn’t wait for the announced 11 am start time, as well as someone passing by who asked if they could take some of the plywood off HPIC’s hands.

(Photo from today, by Dina Lydia Johnson)

Next step, shoring up the remaining awning, and they’re putting out a call to West Seattle contractors/construction companies to see if anyone’s willing to help (contact info is on the HPIC website, hpic1919.org). That’s on the south side of the building, along SW Holden, where the sidewalk remains closed until the awning is shored up:

(WSB photo – Thursday night)

In the short run, they’re hoping to put a brace on that remaining overhang. The building not only is used as a community center by Highland Park groups including HPIC – this Wednesday, for example, it’s scheduled for the regular fourth-Wednesday meeting of the Highland Park Action Committee – it’s also usually busy with classes, rentals, and events including movie nights and the first-Friday Corner Bar.

3:04 PM: As Alan said in comments, no work party tomorrow. Here’s the official message just in from HPIC:

Thanks to all that helped! We just wrapped it up. There will not be a work party tomorrow. Many hands made light work! We do have a small pile of metal next to the large dumpster in case anyone is interested in saving us from cutting it up to size for the recycle bin! It is yours for the taking.

We are also putting out the call for a bonded contractor to remove the awning that has not fallen. We are hoping to hire someone from the neighborhood.

7:11 PM: And the latest on the building’s status:

The debris from the fallen awning is cleaned up, a support post was put under the awning next to Holden and repairs were made to the handrails. We are now back open for classes and meetings. We still have a large dumpster in the middle of the parking lot for removal of the awning on the Holden side. We hope to have that awning removed soon but, until it is, we are not going to be able to support any large rentals or Corner Bar. Hopefully, we will get the rest of the awning removed very soon, as none of us want to miss Corner Bar!

(The next CB would be Friday, May 6th.)

Alan April 23, 2016 (2:41 pm)

We just wrapped it up. There will not be a work party tomorrow. Many hands made light work! We do have a small pile of metal next to the large dumpster in case anyone is interested in saving us from cutting it up to size for the recycle bin! It is yours for the taking.

WSB April 23, 2016 (2:53 pm)

Congrats! Is the building going to reopen? Patrick forgot to ask that.
- Alan April 23, 2016 (3:00 pm)
  
  I am working on a request for a decision from the board right now on that. We need to decide if the building is now open and to what degree. More to come soon, hopefully.
- Alan April 23, 2016 (5:18 pm)
  
  WSB – You should have the email now. We are open for meetings and classes. Until we can get the remaining awning (and huge dumpster) removed, we will not be supporting big parties.

Question Mark April 23, 2016 (2:49 pm)

This was no doubt a great concern and inconvenience for many community organizations who had to cancel expected activities at the last minute. I’m glad the work party today was such a success!

That being said, I can’t resist pointing out, in the spirit of the headline, that the old girl may have been trying to signal that it’s time for a face lift …

Alan April 23, 2016 (3:02 pm)

The old girl has been asking for a facelift more decades. The target on much of our fundraising is a remodel. Anything that happens right now will likely be lipstick on a pig that will hold us over until we can complete the plan.
- Question Mark April 23, 2016 (3:20 pm)
  
  Best wishes for success in every near-term and long-term endeavor!
  - Alan April 23, 2016 (4:15 pm)
    
    Thanks! I think it is safe to say that nobody likes the way HPIC looks from the outside. Some find the wood paneling inside interestingly “retro” and we do have a hardwood dance floor, but nobody comes for the building. It is for the people involved; the kind of people that will show up to work away their Saturday just because it needs to be done.