West Seattle, Washington
07 Friday
11:15 PM: A Seattle Fire “full response” is headed to an apartment building in the 3200 block of Harbor Avenue SW, where a 911 caller reported seeing flames from the third floor. Updates to come.
11:17 PM: First units arriving report “heavy smoke.”
11:19 PM: Now they’re reporting the fire is out and they’re reducing the response.
Rose de Dan‘s camera has caught coyotes before. This week, a particularly thirsty one discovered her backyard pond in East Admiral and showed up to drink up:
The last few nights, I have been privileged to hear coyote conversations (yips) that sounded like they were less than a block away. Last night, one of the coyotes stopped by the Wild Reiki Spa for a drink at the fountain. He must have drunk the water a little too quickly, since you can hear him giving a few genteel coughs.
Besides allowing me to see wildlife, the cam acts as a warning system for my urban West Seattle neighbors, encouraging them to keep their cats inside and to be careful when walking small or elderly dogs at twilight, night, and early morning. Here are some tips on how to co-exist peacefully with coyotes.
Reminder that California SW is closed between SW Admiral Way and SW College Street until late tomorrow night for this year’s Admiral Block Party. The festival presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association doesn’t officially start until 10 am Saturday but setup is under way now and you can come enjoy the shade, including street games:
Extended outdoor cafés at restaurants on the block, which are the food and drink providers for the festival, which focuses on supporting local year-round businesses:
And DJs will be spinning through the evening while the main stage is getting set up midblock:
Here’s the Saturday schedule for main-stage music:
Justin Kausal-Hayes – 11 am
Sad Dad Autumn – 12:00 pm
School of Rock – 1:15 pm
Michael Pearsall – 2:30 pm
Potholes – 3:45 pm
Baby Crow Flight School – 5:15 pm
Six Killers – 6:30 pm
Sun King – 7:45 pm
Justin Kausal-Hayes – 11 am
Sad Dad Autumn – 12:00 pm
Music runs from 11 am until about 9 pm Saturday; vendor booths – here’s the lineup – will be open 10 am until at least 6 pm. See you at the Block Party!
(Clickable map is on National Weather Service site; basically, darker color = higher alert level)
A few hours into what was a Heat Advisory alert, the National Weather Service has raised it to an Extreme Heat Warning, in effect through early Tuesday morning. From the full alert:
* WHAT…Hot conditions with high temperatures ranging from the upper 80s to mid 90s and low temperatures in the mid 60s. This will pose a major risk of heat-related illness.
* WHERE…City of Seattle, Eastside, and Lowlands of Pierce and Southern King Counties.
* WHEN…Until 5 AM PDT Tuesday.
* IMPACTS…Heat-related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat events.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.
(WSB photos by Tracy Record)
After a shutdown now in its sixth year, Hiawatha Community Center is on track to reopen early next year. We got a look inside during an informal tour earlier this week with two community advocates and Seattle Parks project leader Morteza Behrooz. From the exterior, you can only see a bit of what’s been done during what began as a strengthening and stabilization project and expanded to, among other things, make Hiawatha the city’s first fully electric community center; part of its energy-efficiency upgrades includes new windows – see some of those above. The accessibility includes this new stairway, with railing, on the north side:
Other accessibility features include railings elsewhere as well as restroom work. So let’s go inside. On the east side of the building, here’s the gym:
A big part of the strengthening/stabilization work involves braces and beams – the masonry no longer has to hold up the building without reinforcement:
Going further into the building, we got a look at the lobby and programming areas:
The new windows are in evidence everywhere, letting in lots of light:
In non-public areas below, like equipment and laundry spaces, new piping and wiring is in view:
Upstairs, we peeked into the room with the stage:
At the rear of this room is the kitchen space, where appliances will be moved into place in the next week or so:
Optimus Construction is the general contractor for the project. One manager we saw briefly remarked that the building had posed a lot of challenges – “threw everything at us” – not originally in the plans and expectations; for example, once old windows were removed, they discovered larger cavities, rot, other issues. The project’s price tag has tripled over the years and is now $6.5 million, Behrooz said. Work began early last year, four years after the center closed; what had been a pandemic closure was extended because the project was considered imminent – but ultimately wasn’t.
P.S. The work isn’t all construction – Behrooz said Parks programming staff is busy discussing and planning what programs can be reintroduced and when. Day care will return, for example, but it might not re-start immediately after the center reopens.
One more note: The Hiawatha play area project is under different management, so he didn’t have an update on that, but we’ll be pursuing a separate update.
(WSB photo, July 2024)
Quick update from SDOT on the Admiral Way Bridges work, one week after our previous update – spokesperson Mariam Ali messaged us this morning to say, “Just wanted to give you a heads up that we should be mostly done with this project by Labor Day.” Does that include Fairmount Avenue reopening beneath the bridge? She said yes. As our photo above shows, the original projection for that reopening was six months ago; SDOT says scope expansion, such as added painting, stretched out the timeline for the project.
(Sunset earlier this week, photographed by Mike Burns)
Here are our notes about what’s happening, and NOT happening, for your Friday, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SOUTH TRANSFER STATION: As suggested by a reader, we’re continuing to remind you that it’s closed for most of the rest of the month. (We’re checking today to see how things are going.)
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER AND FAREWELL TO SARAH: The center is open for plant-shopping Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus, and you’re invited to stop by 10 am-2 p to say farewell to Sarah Skamser, who is retiring as director of the program (the farewell continues tomorrow if you can’t get there today).
LAFABRIQUE SALE: 10 am-3 pm, rare designer fabric sale at LaFabrique in west South Park’s Cloverdale Business Park (309 S. Cloverdale).
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: The spraypark is open daily until Labor Day 11 am-8 pm. Free. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
WADING POOL: Lincoln Park is the last one open in West Seattle, 12-7 pm today (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW, near north lot).
COLMAN POOL: The heated salt-water pool is open to the public today, noon-7 pm.
SEATTLE TERIYAKI HISTORY & MORE: Second-to-last week to see this exhibit at the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens) – the museum is open noon-4 pm today.
QI GONG AT VIVA ARTS: Fridays at 12:15 pm – info in our calendar listing. (4421 Fauntleroy Way SW)
ADMIRAL BLOCK PARTY PRE-PARTY: California SW closes at 1 pm so setup can begin for Saturday’s Admiral Block Party in the street north of Admiral Way SW, and that means a Pre-Party!
3:30 – 5 pm music in the street with Billy Rosewarne and Ashton Hart Wecker
5 pm – 10 pm DJs in front of the main stage
COMEDY AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor) features comedy troupe Midnight Mystery Theater, 6-8 pm. All ages, no cover
SUMMER CONCERTS AT THE MOUNT: Final scheduled concert is canceled too.
HAND-BUILD ANIMALS: 6:30-9 pm at The Clay Cauldron (5214 Delridge Way SW) – follow that link for sign-up and fee info.
OUTDOOR MOVIE AT CAMP LONG + CLIMBING: Camp Long is showing “The Wild Robot” at dusk (the sun goes down around 8 pm tonight) in the meadow, and you can come early for free rock climbing 5-7 pm – details in our preview. (5200 35th SW)
LIVE AT EASY STREET RECORDS: 7 pm, Dean Johnson performance and signing – secure a spot at this free, all-ages show by buying his new LP in the store. (4559 California SW)
MUSIC AT THE SKYLARK: Doors at 7, show at 8, The Harper Conspiracy, Spider Lounge, Room for Cream at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), $10.
OUTDOOR MOVIE AT MAARTEN PARK: Another free movie at dusk (8-ish), “The Emperor’s New Groove.” BYO chair/blanket. (42nd SW/SW Juneau)
REVELRY ROOM DJ: 9 pm, DJ Buttnaked spins tonight! (4547 California SW)
MAKE IT LOUD: Skating with live music and DJ – tonight, Goth Skate: DJs, Bands- Serpent Skirt, 2 Libras, Drag, Tarot, Gogos – 9 pm at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW). 21+. $18 cover/$5 skates.
If you have something to showcase on our event lists or calendar, please email what/when/where/etc. info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Family and friends are remembering Joan Dawson and sharing this remembrance with her community:
Joan Neilsen Dawson passed away from advanced heart disease on August 9, 2025, in Seattle.
Joan was the daughter of Neil and Elaine Neilsen and grew up on Alki Point. She was a 1965 graduate of West Seattle High School and attended the University of Washington. She resided in West Seattle for most of her life and had worked at the family business, Neilsen Florists, when she was younger.
She is survived by her children Joshua and Elizabeth, her brother Steve, and several nieces and nephews. Please consider donations in her name to Mount Zion Baptist Church in Seattle.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)
6:00 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Friday, August 22, 2025.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
The Heat Advisory alert kicks in at 11 am today. The forecast for today is sunny, low 80s. Today’s sunrise will be at 6:15 am; sunset will be at 8:08 pm.
ROAD WORK AND OTHER CLOSURES, INCLUDING THIS WEEKEND
-California SW will close north of Admiral Way this afternoon through late Saturday night for the Admiral Block Party and Pre-Party.
-The West Seattle low bridge is scheduled to close this weekend, starting at 7 am Saturday, continuing as late as 10 pm Sunday.
-The state’s planned highway/tunnel work list has changed – here’s the latest version.
–Admiral Way Bridge seismic work continues.
TRANSIT TODAY
Metro buses – On regular schedule and routes today.
Washington State Ferries – WSF has three-boat service on the Triangle Route, with M/V Kittitas, M/V Cathlamet, and M/V Sealth. Vessel Watch will show you which boat is where.
Water Taxi – Regular West Seattle service; summer schedule, with later runs on Friday (tonight!) and Saturday nights, and on other weeknights with Mariners home games.
STADIUM ZONE
Mariners start a six-game homestand tonight, 7:10 pm vs. the A’s.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Low Bridge – Looking west:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
Delridge cameras: In addition to the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
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