The next step in the city’s plan to sell historic ex-Fire Station 37 potentially involves you. Before it can be officially put up for sale, City Council approval is needed, and before that can happen, a public hearing is required. It’s scheduled for 9:30 am August 2nd at City Hall, before the council’s Finance and Budget Committee. Here’s the official city protocol:
For those who wish to testify, a sign-up sheet will be available outside the Council Chamber one-half hour before the public hearing. Questions concerning the public hearing may be directed to Monica Ghosh in Councilmember Godden’s office, by calling (206) 684-8807 or via e-mail at: monica.ghosh@seattle.gov
For those unable to attend the public hearing, comments will be accepted through Friday, August 12, 2011. Please mail your comments to: Councilmember Jean Godden, Chair; Finance & Budget Committee; Seattle City Council; P.O. Box 34025; Seattle, WA 98124-4025.
The ordinance that the council would have to approve to authorize the sale can be read here. Even more documentation about the property and the process is on the city’s Real Estate website. Back in April, when the city began the path toward this hearing and future vote, we reported on some of the proposals it had received; the city said at the time it expected the landmark would most likely be sold for use as a private residence. The site at 35th/Othello has been vacant since the new Station 37 at 35th/Holden was activated last fall.
While remodeling an area of the old Fauntleroy Schoolhouse to serve as a Pilates studio, Pamela Phillips-Blevins discovered a bit of history, a blackboard that appears to have been frozen in time – in 1939.
Way over on the right side of the blackboard, a few names for a “list” (gotta wonder what “list” that was):
(Photos courtesy Museum of Flight)
As noted before, the Museum of Flight is so close, we consider it almost an honorary West Seattle institution. (And many of its visiting aircraft fly right over us.) We’ll be virtually embedded there again in a month for the Blue Angels‘ annual Seafair visit. But in the meantime – a big production there today: The museum’s “Flying Fortress” B-17 – which has quite a history – is on its front lawn today after being towed from a Boeing Field hangar early this morning:
It’s front and center for the “Heroes of the Homefront” event on July 16th, which also will include fly-ins by a B-25 bomber and P-51 flyer, and an evening “hangar dance,” and also celebrates Boeing’s 95th anniversary. More details here.
The photo was shared by Gary Jones, who adds, “Over the skies of West Seattle this Memorial Day weekend – ‘Aluminum Overcast’ – a B-17G Flying Fortress. Fitting tribute, since so many of these important aircraft for the WWII effort were built not far from here.” Aluminum Overcast is visiting Seattle through tomorrow, according to the schedule on its website (a flight will cost you about $400, but there are ground tours too). For more on the B-17’s background, here’s the HistoryLink.org page, which notes it’s been 76 years since its prototype that made its first flight from Boeing Field.
ADDED 2:59 PM: We are reminded that WSB contibutor Christopher Boffoli documented a ride aboard a different B-17, “Liberty Belle,” two years ago – with video – see it here.
A beautiful day for some spring cleaning – and that’s what Keller Williams Realty staffers helped with at West Seattle’s Log House Museum today, as part of a nationwide day of service for the real-estate company. We caught up with them in their last hour of six hours of work – dressed in their company-colors white-on-red – during which they handled tasks including cleaning donor bricks, oiling logs, and refreshing garden beds.
Thanks to Alex for sharing that photo via Twitter last night as Elliott Bay Brewing Company‘s facade work continues in The Junction. We first told you a week ago about owner Todd Carden‘s work to restore some of the facade’s historic features – but the best part of the story turned out to be WSB commenters who sleuthed out the storefront’s history (read about it starting here). Looks like Elliott Bay also has put up a photo gallery here.
A recently issued permit for a “new storefront” at Elliott Bay Brewing Company in The Junction sparked our curiosity – so we stopped by today to find out what’s up. Elliott Bay Brewing owner Todd Carden tells WSB he’s been thinking for months about facade work that will leave the building looking a little more like what it looked like decades ago. And even just with a bit of work, he’s uncovered some history:
The inscribed bricks shown in our photos are part of what he uncovered while out doing some work today – with the inscriptions 1932, above, and below, GJ Vayhinger:
(Who was GJ Vayhinger? So far, we’ve only found one reference, in a Google Book search result about a national board of hardware sellers. Help, Junction historians!) Carden says he doesn’t have the plan completely finalized yet – he’s still exploring options. There are even windows under the current facade, so he’s going to see what kind of shape they’re in, to possibly let some more light into his establishment. So be on the lookout for a “new ‘old’ look” at Elliott Bay!
4:14 PM UPDATE: WSB’ers have been researching GJ Vayhinger while we were working on other stories – read their discoveries in the comment section – and the research indicates he indeed ran a West Seattle hardware store!
By 10 am, the restaurant was fairly full, and as scheduled, the auction began, legendary local auctioneer James G. Murphy himself led the calling, with Ron Hannon at his side:
Here’s a wider look at their portable-podium-with-PA setup, plus the assistant who has to go find each item that’s being bid on, lifting it aloft till the bidding ends:
2:30 PM UPDATE: Just stopped by. The remaining Murphy personnel on the site say the auction finished about an hour ago, and everything went except for a few countertops.
If you’ve driven by the city-landmark former Fire Station 37 and noticed a new sign, here’s what it’s about: The city Finance Department is recommending the City Council approve plans to sell the building at 35th and Othello, since the city has no further use for it. It was vacated when Engine 37 and its team moved into their new, larger station a few blocks south last October. This recommendation triggers a 30-day comment period before the Council moves ahead with the process of putting the site on the market. But this process actually started nine months ago (here’s our report from July), so there’s already a fair amount of information on what the city expects might happen. Ahead, how to comment, as well as what sort of interest the city has already received:Read More
(WSB photo from 1/16/2011) By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
It’s come up before, and now it’s come up again:
To reopen the city-landmarked Alki Homestead (originally the Fir Lodge), will it take restoration, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or some combination of all of the above? The scope of the proposal came up this morning downtown as owner Tom Lin and his architect team from Alloy Design Group returned to the Architectural Review Committee of the city Landmarks Preservation Board for a third review, with historic-preservation advocates watching from the sidelines.
The same question arose when Lin and a different architect brought a different proposal to the committee a year and a half ago, as reported here. Back then, they were proposing adding “other uses” to the site – a bar, maybe a bed-and-breakfast – but that plan was scrapped, and the new plan is all about bringing the Homestead back as a restaurant and banquet facility.
But how can it be done, when it needs a new foundation and a new roof – and some degree of replacement inbetween? “Tricky” is one word that was used.
The latest Land Use Information Bulletin from the city brought word that the proposal to renovate the interior of the Shoremont Apartments on Alki is proceeding – it’s been determined no environmental review is needed. You’ll recall the twin apartment buildings were once proposed for demolition, to make way for an ultra-modern development planned 3 years ago; then foreclosure led to new ownership. This morning, we talked for the first time with new owner Dennis Schilling, who tells WSB he bought the Shoremont because he has “always liked small brick buildings … I thought (these) were pretty interesting.” More about his plans, ahead:Read More
Heike shared that Admiral Theater ad from the January 23, 1942, “Seattle Daily Times.” We asked how the old paper was found. Reply: “We put a few can lights into the ceiling, and had to go up into the attic for rewiring. Pretty amazing that it’s been there all this time!”
The architects who are working on the plan to renovate the Alki Homestead, closed since an electrical fire in January 2009, will return to the city Landmark Preservation Board‘s Architectural Review Committee this Friday morning. It’ll be the third time they appear before the committee, which doesn’t vote, but rather advises applicants on their project before they get to a vote of the full board – whose approval is required for an official city landmark to proceed with renovations/modifications. The meeting is open to the public and is scheduled for 9:30 am this Friday at the Municipal Tower downtown; here’s our report on the first review in January, and the second review last month. The proposal seeks to renovate the historic Fir Lodge as a restaurant, with banquet facilities, and an added structure to its rear (west side) that would house the kitchen among other things.
(Walker Rock Garden photo courtesy Lita Gill)
Just six weeks after first word it was going up for sale, West Seattle’s quirky Walker Rock Garden apparently has a buyer. We checked its website for word of upcoming “open” dates for the site, and discovered an undated “breaking news” item declaring: “The property is now under contract so do not wait to come and see the Walker Rock Garden. DO IT NOW!” No future “garden open” dates are listed as of right now, but the Walkers’ granddaughter Lita Gill had told us in a previous exchange that you can contact the listing agent directly to ask (Brad Cooper, 206-383-0197). She told WSB in January that while they hoped to find a buyer who would preserve her grandparents’ rock creations, they wouldn’t require it as a condition of sale. Earlier this month, the property, with a small home on a double lot, was listed for $392,000. We have an inquiry out to see if they’re commenting on the in-progress sale. Meantime, Michael tipped us this past weekend to a new online story with more details on exactly how the Walker Rock Garden’s stonework was crafted – you can read it here.
At the Muni Tower downtown, the architects working on the proposed restoration of the closed-by-fire-damage Alki Homestead appeared today for the second time before the Architectural Review Committee of the city Landmarks Preservation Board.
No vote was taken – meetings of the Architectural Review Committee are informal gatherings for architects, property owners, and developers to get feedback before bringing complete proposals to the full board, which has to sign off on projects affecting official city landmarks like the Homestead (historically known as the Fir Lodge). But the discussion represented another step toward restoring and reopening the Homestead, a popular restaurant for decades before a January 2009 electrical fire put it (for now) out of business.
As was the case at the January review, the architects from Alloy Design Group(above) made the presentation, with Homestead owner Tom Lin in the audience. When they appeared last month, the focus was on the overall concept of what they intend to do – this time, the focus was on the “accessory structure” that is being proposed on the east side of the Homestead, to hold its kitchen as well as an elevator for accessing proposed banquet facilities on the second floor. As the architects explained, they need feedback on what will be OK with the “accessory structure” before they can figure out the plan for restoring the fire-damaged Homestead building itself. And that’s part of why projects come before the committee before going for an official vote – to get feedback on whether they’re going down the right road.
Much of the discussion centered on a proposed third-floor view deck, 598 square feet. Here’s a rough sketch from this morning’s informal presentation:
Alloy’s Mark Haizlip and Greg Squires suggested that a third-floor deck would bring back a historic aspect of the Homestead – the reason the Fir Lodge was located on that site in the first place – what was then a view of Elliott Bay.
For those tracking the future of the Alki Homestead (historically known as the Fir Lodge) and owner Tom Lin‘s new plan to restore it – the project is scheduled for another review before the Landmarks Preservation Board‘s Architectural Review Committee, a required step before the full board votes on the project (their approval is required because the Homestead is an official city landmark). The agenda for the meeting has just arrived. It’s open to the public, with this item scheduled at 10 am next Friday (February 25th) on the 40th floor of the city Municipal Tower downtown. (Here’s our recent coverage – last month’s committee meeting here, a look into the city files regarding the restoration plan here; our Homestead coverage is archived here.)
Well, OK, it’s *almost* a century of history. The Museum of History and Industry‘s video team has taken on another West Seattle landmark, and suggested to WSB that you might want to see the 4-minute result. P.S. If you’re looking for what’s up at The Admiral right now, here are the latest listings.
(Photo courtesy of Rhonda Porter)
The official listing is now online for West Seattle’s quirky Walker Rock Garden (and accompanying house), whose owners announced here 2 1/2 weeks ago that it would be put up for sale. Marke-mailed today to say he had spotted the listing (and fears it will be snapped up by a developer because it’s a big lot) – the asking price is $392,000. The family of its creators, Milton and Florence Walker, say they can’t maintain it any more and are hoping to sell it to someone interested in preserving it – though they told us they don’t intend to require that as a condition of the purchase.
Greg is only the third owner of his classic car, and he’s had it for more than 30 years. He decided to photograph it in front of the old and new Fire Station 37 buildings in West Seattle, and we thought the results made for nice night-ending scenery.
(Photo courtesy of Rhonda Porter)
If you would be interested in living in and caring for what has to be the most unusual home/garden pairing in West Seattle today – Lita has an offer for you. She e-mailed WSB to share the news that the Walker Rock Garden and Home are for sale:
I am the granddaughter of Milton and Florence Walker, the creators of the Walker Rock Garden (located at 5407 37th Ave SW, West Seattle). We (my aunt, cousin, and myself) are placing the Walker Rock Garden and Home for sale as we can longer maintain it. … We’re hoping to drum up interest amongst locals and ultimately find someone whose heart lies in keeping the garden healthy and happy (and hopefully allowing the public to still visit).
The Walker Rock Garden, created by Lita’s grandparents over the span of 20 years, is one of those places you have to see to appreciate. Photos do hint at its memorable sights – here’s a gallery shared by Lita; here’s one by Rhonda “The Mortgage Porter” Porter (WSB sponsor). Others who have written about it include Lori Hintonin “West Seattle 101“ and West Seattle-based online entrepreneur/eclectica expert Jerry at JetCityOrange.com (his page about Walker Rock Garden is here).
The site is not an official landmark, so there’s no official guarantee of its protection. Lita shared this official flyer; we asked her a few followup questions such as asking price (not mentioned on the flyer, nor could we find a listing online) and whether they’ll have an open house – we’ll add her answers when they come in.
ADDED 8:50 PM: Lita replied:
The property will be listed on the MLS near the start of February and the price has yet to be determined. However, we wanted to get the word out so anyone interested in preserving can start to look at their finances. Also, because we do not yet know who the next owners will be, this very well could be the last year the garden will be open, so come check it out before it is too late. The hours can be found at walkerrockgarden.net.
She says they will not be requesting an official agreement that the buyer would preserve the rock garden.
Last July, owner Tom Linannounced he would sell the Homestead, offering it first to preservation/cultural groups, then to the general public. No public listing ever appeared, and no deal has ever been announced. We have left Lin messages asking for comment on its status, but no reply. However, an announcement came Friday afternoon from the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, headquartered half a block away at what was the Homestead’s carriage house: They plan a media event Sunday morning, on the fire anniversary:
A coalition of four heritage organizations — the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, Historic Seattle, 4Culture and the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation — will hold a press conference to provide updates on the potential for protection, preservation and restoration of the city-landmark 1904 log building known as Fir Lodge and the Alki Homestead Restaurant.
(WSB photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
Appropriately enough, a West Seattle moviehouse with history was the place today to kick off a celebration about history – On the eve of the 100th anniversary of Washington women winning the right to vote (HistoryLink.org tells the story here), West Seattle Democratic Women screened a suffragette saga at Admiral Theater. Above, WSDW chair Karen Chilcutt, who told the audience before the screening of “Iron-Jawed Angels,” “If it weren’t for them, we — in this room, couldn’t vote.” About 75 people turned out, mingling before the film:
Afterward, Alki’s Libby Carr led a discussion – she’s at center here, with Fran Presley and Donna Stewart:
At the info table, WSDW secretary Sue Backs(left) and treasurer Beth Grieser, as the group accepted new memberships today.
On November 8, 1910, Washington became the fifth state to grant women the right to vote. That was almost a full decade before the 19th Amendment was ratified in summer 1920. The anniversary will be marked in Olympia tomorrow with Day of Jubilation activities – the schedule is on the Washington Women’s History Consortium homepage. Then WSDW has a big party at the West Seattle Golf Course on Friday night, “highlighting the success and struggle of women in Washington State history,” as their announcement puts it, with period costumes welcome, hat/dress fashion shows planned, recognition of women in politics, and more, $25, reservations at wsdwomen@yahoo.com or 206-935-3216.
It was a double celebration for Southwest Seattle Historical Society leaders and members last night at Beveridge Place Pub: Not only were they excited about the new “Images of America: West Seattle” photo book they helped create – with assistance from volunteers who stepped forward after this request 10 months ago – but they were relieved that the shipment of books arrived in time! You can buy it for $21 (with part of the proceeds benefiting SWSHS) at the Log House Museum gift shop (which carries other books too) – 10 percent discount if you’re a member – and it’ll soon be available elsewhere in West Seattle; if you’re a retailer and would like to carry it, get in touch with the Log House Museum (whose new managerSarah Frederick was among last night’s partiers – 2nd from left – along with outgoing director Andrea Mercado – 3rd from right).
The latest Land Use Information Bulletin from the city brought word that the 
Tomorrow marks two years since 
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