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West Seattle 4th of July: Your invitation to a picnic
June 21, 2009 4:00 pm
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 |   Alki Statue of Liberty | Holidays | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

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Celebrate Liberty on the Fourth of July – by visiting the old Alki Statue of Liberty (and then if you want, later, the nearby plaza’s new one) at the Log House Museum‘s gift shop. But that would be just one side attraction at the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s annual membership picnic. Even if you’re not a member yet, you’re invited to come join at the picnic, which will offer free hamburgers, hot dogs, coffee, tea and lemonade – just bring a side dish to share – and help launch “Telling Our Westside Stories,” which the Historical Society explains as: We’ll collect your memories of the land, water, beaches, and hills of the Duwamish peninsula.” (The LHM is at 61st/Stevens in Alki; here’s a map.)

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Date set for city Landmarks Board hearing on The Sanctuary
June 18, 2009 8:41 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

As reported here last month, the 80-year-old former 6th Church of Christ, Scientist, now known as The Sanctuary at Admiral (42nd and Lander; map), is nominated for city landmark status. And now, a date is set for the Landmarks Board to consider the nomination: 3:30 pm July 1st, on the 40th floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower downtown (here’s the official notice, which also includes information on how to comment in writing). Part of the info packet includes this note:

The owner is nominating this property for City of Seattle Landmark status as part of an application for a Conditional Use Permit to establish a non-conforming adaptive reuse of this historic West Seattle community church.

And this interesting bit of history from the church’s past (its congregation merged with the Fauntleroy Christian Science church before the building was sold in 2002):

The church’s first service was held on January 1, 1930. The total cost of construction was under $37,000. However, because Christian Science churches are not dedicated until they are free from debt, the Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist was not dedicated until February 8, 1942. There were initially fourteen charter members of the church.

You can see the entire nomination document, with tons of details about the building and its history (that’s where we found the 1937 photo at the top of this story), here.

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Details: Court of Appeals hears Satterlee House arguments
June 10, 2009 11:57 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Development | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

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While Satterlee House owner William Conner is pursuing his development-rights appeal on five main points, only one of those points was spotlighted in oral arguments this morning before the state’s second-highest court: “Whether the city’s landmarks ordinance is unconstitutionally vague,” as Conner’s lawyer Richard Hill described it. The arguments went quickly – as we noted in the morning preview from the Court of Appeals-Division 1 courtroom at One Union Square downtown, each side gets 10 minutes, and a digital clock tracks the time in glaring red illumination – starting just after 10 am, and concluding, with some questions from the judges along the way, just before 10:30. Read on for details (and backstory if you haven’t followed this case before):Read More

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Today/tonight: Landmark fight; tunnel talk; candidates; HPIC
June 10, 2009 8:14 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle history | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Highlights from the WSB Events calendar:

LANDMARK COURT FIGHT: This morning in the Court of Appeals, 1st Division, both sides in the Satterlee House court fight get 10 minutes each for oral arguments in the two-year fight over proposed homebuilding on the landmark Beach Drive home’s lawn.

TUNNEL TALK: 6-8 pm tonight at Madison Middle School, it’s your next chance to comment on the future of the Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct corridor. Specifically, the city, state and federal governments want to hear what you think should be included in the “environmental” studies before the deep-bore tunnel can be built – but that doesn’t just mean ecological impacts. The open-house format meeting also will include displays of the latest information on the project and people who can answer whatever question you have about what’s on the drawing board and how it’ll affect the way you get around.

CANDIDATES’ FORUM: 7 pm tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy, West Seattle’s biggest political group, the 34th District Democrats, will host candidates for every major job except County Executive (since they faced off last week across the street). It’s a prelude to their endorsement vote at next month’s meeting, but it’s your best chance this summer to get a look at the candidates in the crowded races that will be narrowed down to two in August.

(added 10:56 am) HIGHLAND PARK IMPROVEMENT CLUB: HPIC meets tonight at its HQ, with potluck/social hour at 6:30 pm, meeting including installation of new officers at 7 pm.

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Another West Seattle centennial celebration: Villa Heidelberg
June 9, 2009 9:40 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news

It bears saying again: With all the centennial celebrations in the past year or so, it’s clear something amazing was going on here on the peninsula in 1908-1909. Next to celebrate, Villa Heidelberg Bed and Breakfast this weekend, and you’re invited – we received this from KatieRose Oliver:

The Villa Heidelberg was built in 1909, and has been a Bed and Breakfast for several years, owned for the last 10 by Judy Burbrink. There will be an open house this Saturday, June 13, 2009 from 1-4pm. A cream tea will be served by the West Seattle Lions Club for a donation. Judy would also appreciate it if anyone with memorabilia, old photos etc., would bring them over to display.

Villa Heidelberg is at 4845 45th SW (map).

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Also in court next week: Satterlee House front-lawn fight
June 4, 2009 12:30 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

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The Cooper School closure challenge isn’t the only big West Seattle case that’ll be argued in court next week. Wednesday is the date that lawyers for the city and for homeowner William Conner will be in the Court of Appeals to make oral arguments in Conner’s appeal of a city ruling against his proposal to build three homes on the front lawn of Beach Drive’s city-landmark Satterlee House:

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We have covered the case extensively here, including the Hearing Examiner proceedings that upheld the Landmarks Board‘s rule (here’s our coverage of that decision in April 2008; then the Superior Court arguments last October, and the ruling later that month which Conner is challenging in the Court of Appeals. The city contends that the landmark status of the property — which gives the Landmarks Board the right to approve or deny development proposals, remodeling proposals, and more — includes the front lawn, and Conner’s arguments say it doesn’t, among many other points. The city’s case does not say Conner can’t build anything on the lawn, however, but that this particular proposal would be detrimental to the landmark. The case is getting national attention – the National Trust for Historic Preservation has filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the city; read about it here. (Side note, since some have asked in previous coverage: Satterlee House owner William Conner founded Conner Homes, which is developing property at California/Alaska/42nd in The Junction, but it is now run by his son Charlie Conner.)

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New owners for historic Fauntleroy estate
June 3, 2009 12:39 pm
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 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

Editor’s note: We first reported in July 2007 that this historic Fauntleroy home was on the market for $5 million; thanks to Amy for the tip that it just sold for $3,850,000; thanks to Fauntleroy writer and historian Ron Richardson for tracking down the details and providing this report and photos:

By Ron Richardson
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

After being on the market for nearly two years, the Colman-Pierce home in the Laurentide section of Fauntleroy has new owners.

Dr. Jack Pierce has sold the home and 2.5-acre estate to Mr. David Jones and his wife Mary Ann of Preston. Dr. Pierce had received offers from developers but wanted to be sure that the property ended up with someone who appreciated the home, the gardens and would maintain its atmosphere and garden setting:

Fauntleroy neighbors are appreciative and relieved that Dr. Pierce found such a buyer. Mr. Jones was born in England, has been a Microsoft executive and currently lives on a ten-acre farm in Preston. According to Dr. Pierce, Mr. Jones likes the idea of having a home in the city with the serenity one finds at the Colman estate. And he likes gardens.

The home, called Laurentide, was built in 1922 by Laurence Colman and was designed by well-known Seattle architect Arthur Loveless. Seattle pioneer James Colman, an immigrant from Scotland, eventually settled Fauntleroy in 1906, along with fellow members of Seattle’s Plymouth Congregational Church. The Colman family over the years has built and maintained a spectacular garden with dozens of rhododendrons, including new species developed by the Colmans.

Dr. Pierce and his wife Leilia have moved to their other home at Horsehead Bay near Gig Harbor. Older Fauntleroy residents would remember being taken to summer camp at Horsehead Bay by Laurence Colman.

It seems a Fauntleroy and West Seattle historic property has been saved from ‘development’ and will retain its historic sense into the future, thanks to Dr. Jack Pierce and Mr. David Jones.

Read more Fauntleroy history in Ron Richardson’s HistoryLink.org essay.

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Update: “Ivar’s house is going down”
May 29, 2009 9:39 am
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 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news

Thanks to Cathy Woo, who just sent a cameraphone photo with that subject line on the e-mail. We reported last night that, a month after training fires started the demolition process, the appearance of a backhoe indicated the end was near for the 59th SW house where Ivar Haglund once lived; this morning, the backhoe’s digging in. ADDED FRIDAY NIGHT: Video as the backhoe finished up with the debris:

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Followup: End appears near for “Ivar’s house” in Upper Alki
May 28, 2009 9:50 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news

One month ago, we covered the training fires at the 59th SW (on the slope south of Admiral Way) house once owned by West Seattle’s legendary Ivar Haglund (yes, if you’re just joining us, THE Ivar). The owner had offered the house to the Seattle Fire Department because of its impending demolition. If you want one last look, time appears to be running out — it looks like the rest of the demolition work is not far away; we noticed the shown-above backhoe while driving by yesterday, and went back this evening for a photo (this is taken from the west side of the house). A new, larger house is planned for the property; here’s one more look at the photos sent to us last month by Seattle historian Paul Dorpat (first, the house in 2003; then, its official survey photo from the ’30s):

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Admiral church-turned-events-venue seeks landmark status
May 28, 2009 2:20 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion


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It was once the Sixth Church of Christ Scientist, built in 1929 at the corner of SW Lander and 42nd SW – what you see in the Google Street View image above is the south side, immediately across the street from Hiawatha (more photos in this Vintage Seattle post). Now, it’s an events venue called The Sanctuary at Admiral, and city landmarks coordinator Beth Chave confirms to WSB that the city has just accepted a nomination this week proposing Seattle landmark status, submitted by The Sanctuary’s owner (and months in the making), which means this is one of two West Seattle buildings currently under consideration — the other is the Seaview building at The Kenney (as noted in our coverage of the ongoing Design Review process for its proposed redevelopment). Landmark status can bring some economic benefits, like tax breaks, though it also brings restrictions – if the city Landmarks Board decides to designate the building as a landmark, that means that any changes to it (remodeling, etc.) would require their approval. Chave says neither this nomination nor that of the Seaview is listed on the city’s “current nominations” page because the applications are still being reviewed for completeness; once that’s determined, hearings will be scheduled for the board to review the proposal, and public comment will be part of the process (as explained here). You can find a list of West Seattle sites that already have landmark status by going here; meantime, here’s more on The Sanctuary’s history, from its website. The venue, by the way, hosted an event of worldwide note earlier this month – the International Food Bloggers’ Conference (podcasts available on the IFBC website).

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Update: Alki Homestead on new “Endangered Properties” list
May 26, 2009 1:15 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Alki Homestead | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

Washington Trust for Historic Preservation has just officially announced its 2009 list of the “state’s most endangered historic properties,” which includes the fire-damaged Alki Homestead – one of four Seattle “resources” on the list, along with the P-I Globe. Washington Trust sent media organizations a preview of this for planning purposes last week and we honored its requested “embargo” of the list until this afternoon’s planned announcement, which explains:

Inclusion in our annual list is intended to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing historic resources across the state and to encourage collaboration with all stakeholders to develop preservation strategies. In numerous instances, Most Endangered status has worked to facilitate solutions that promote the historic significance of sites while retaining important resources as viable, functional components of our neighborhoods and communities.

So what else does today’s announcement mean for the Homestead? We are at the media briefing right now and will add more later. Meantime, it’s been 4 months since the fire — blamed on an accidental electrical malfunction involving Christmas lights — that closed the Homestead. City records do not yet show an application for repair permits, but they do show that the complaint filed because of roof and window areas “open to weather” was resolved earlier this month and the case is closed.

ADDED 2:30 PM: Video from this afternoon’s announcement – starting with a special sign noting the Homestead’s inclusion, then to comments from Andrea Mercado from the Southwest Seattle Historical Society:

Afterward, she told us the group has been in touch with Homestead owner Tom Lin through an intermediary, and is working with him to make sure he has all the available information regarding potential financial help for restoration. Also at today’s announcement, West Seattle-residing King County Council Chair Dow Constantine – who is on the Washington Trust board – with a few words about the Homestead and more about a Vashon property on the list, the Vashon Elementary Gym:

Read on for the full text of today’s announcement, including the complete list:Read More

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Another West Seattle church centennial: Tibbetts’ talent show
May 26, 2009 12:10 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

It’s been a big year for West Seattle churches with big history to celebrate. Fauntleroy Church (WSB sponsor) and West Seattle Baptist Church celebrated centennials within the past year – Alki UCC celebrates its centennial next weekend (and posted in the WSB Forums recently seeking wedding photos to feature) – centennial events are about to begin at Holy Rosary with a Homecoming Mass/Luncheon June 7 (details here) – and since Tibbetts United Methodist Church (left) has 100 candles on its birthday cake too, they’re inviting you to a big event coming up next weekend:

Tibbetts Has Talent!

Tibbetts United Methodist Church is hosting its Centennial Talent Show & Ice Cream Social on Sunday, May 31st at 3pm. This fun-filled celebration includes a variety of drama, music and more.. and will be held in Adams Hall, entrance by the reader board sign. There’s an ice cream social following the Talent Show featuring fantastic flavors from Husky Deli. We hope you’ll join us!

Tibbetts UMC is at 3940 41st SW (map).

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Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza: Almost time-capsule time
May 24, 2009 11:56 pm
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 |   Alki Statue of Liberty | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

That’s the mascot of the kids’ magazine “Ranger Rick” hanging out at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza during Saturday’s Community Wildlife Habitat Certification celebration. While the habitat project is more about Alki’s present and future than its past, our area’s history will be in the spotlight during one of the next few big events at the beach. More from the Statue of Liberty Plaza Project‘s David Hutchinson (who provided the photos in this report, along with Eilene Hutchinson):

Thanks to the generosity of the Alki and West Seattle Communities, 851 new engraved bricks will be installed in the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza. The engraving should be completed by the end of next week with the date of installation to be set by Seattle Parks & Recreation. This is currently planned for the early part of June, weather permitting. We will notify all donors when a specific date has been set. At the same time, a number of tribute plaques will be installed and a time capsule, scheduled to be opened in 2059, will be buried at the site:

Andrea Mercado of the Log House Museum has been sorting through the many submissions for inclusion in the capsule and is responsible for this part of the project:

The proceeds from the sale of the bricks and tribute plaques has been turned over to Seattle Parks & Recreation and has been placed in a separate account. These funds, minus the cost of the new construction, will be used for the future maintenance of the Statue and Plaza.

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Holy Rosary announces Homecoming Mass and Luncheon
May 11, 2009 3:25 pm
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 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

This has been a big year for church milestones around West Seattle – and the next to celebrate its centennial is Holy Rosary in The Junction. Read on for the announcement of its Homecoming Mass and Luncheon planned for June 7, with tickets available now:Read More

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End of an era: Longtime West Seattleite talks Tillicum Village sale
May 10, 2009 10:27 pm
|    Comments Off on End of an era: Longtime West Seattleite talks Tillicum Village sale
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | West Seattle people


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By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

If you drive down Avalon Way with any regularity, you may have noticed the office of Tillicum Village is shuttered. It closed after the Hewitt family of West Seattle, which has owned and operated Tillicum Village since 1962, sold the operation recently to Argosy Cruises.

Tillicum Village is a popular tour destination on Blake Island, directly across Puget Sound from West Seattle’s western shores, built in the style of a tribal longhouse, offering Native American entertainment and salmon barbecue to visitors; you can read its history here.

So what does the sale mean to its former owners, and the operation? We sat down to talk with Mark Hewitt, former Tillicum Village owner (and son of its founder Bill Hewitt):

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A West Seattle celebration: Happy 97th birthday to Emma
May 5, 2009 10:14 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle people

By Ron Richardson
Special to West Seattle Blog

(Emma, left, with Betty Allen)
The Tuesday group at the Original Bakery in Fauntleroy celebrated Emma Harman’s 97th birthday today, May 5, Cinco de Mayo. The Bakery is a place where, over time, folks become acquaintances, then friends. This is how I got to know Emma. Readers probably have such a place in their corner of West Seattle.

These informal groups drop in on a regular basis, share experiences, vent frustrations, gossip, tackle the problems of the world and celebrate things like folks’ birthdays. Books and articles are shared and talked about. Emma and her friends meet every Tuesday and sometimes Thursday as well.

Bernie Alonzo, owner and baker at the Original Bakery, prepared a cake for our remarkable neighbor, Emma.

Emma Taylor (her maiden name) was raised in the Eastside mining town of Newcastle. When she was a young girl, her family experienced a harsh mining strike. That experience produced in Emma a keen sense of right and wrong and launched her into the struggle for social and economic justice for the underdogs. These were the Depression years, and she was determined to enter into the struggle to create solutions.

By the late 1930s, Emma was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives.

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West Seattle music notes: Seeger P.S.; Dylan breakfast tomorrow
April 27, 2009 5:58 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle history | WS culture/arts

SEEGER/HAGLUND SIDE NOTE: If you missed it over the weekend, we previewed next Sunday’s Admiral Theater event celebrating Pete Seeger‘s 90th birthday (see the story, with video, here) – and it turns out there’s a link to one of the news stories we’re covering today. The former home of Ivar Haglund (left) that’s about to be used for training fires in Upper Alki (WSB story here) is apparently the one mentioned in our Seeger/Admiral preview, as the house where Seeger and Woody Guthrie stayed with Haglund (a folk musician as well as entrepreneur) during a West Seattle visit in the 1940s – so says legendary local historian Paul Dorpat in this detailed comment.

DYLAN BREAKFAST TOMORROW: The folks at Easy Street Records in The Junction e-mailed to make sure you know about their “Coffee with Dylan” event tomorrow morning: It’s release day for “Together through Life,” the new Bob Dylan record, tomorrow, so from 7 am-noon they’re offering free coffee and various giveaways. More info on this Easy Street webpage.

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Fire Department training at Upper Alki house with history
April 27, 2009 10:59 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle history

On 59th SW, south of Admiral Way and just a few blocks uphill from Alki Elementary/Playfield, you may notice smoke sometime in the next day or two: Don’t worry, the Fire Department is already there. They’re preparing this house for “test burns,” which is sometimes done when a house is slated for demolition (as is this one, with a new house to be built in its place). One side note, though – Both our tipster (John from the Rotary Club of West Seattle – thanks!), and the Fire Department folks at the scene, pointed out that this is a house once owned by the legendary Ivar Haglund (of clams, songs, and until this year, fireworks fame). The plat name there, in fact, is Haglund’s 2nd Addition (as various online histories note, the Haglund family once owned all of Alki Point). There’s a traffic note here, too:

Nearby resident Cathy Woo tells WSB neighbors have been told northbound 59th SW (the road is split by a median slope in that area, so 59th is really two one-way streets for a short stretch) will be closed Tuesday-Friday for “all but local residents” – it’s a popular route to Alki.

Online property records say this house was built exactly a century ago, in 1909. Ivar Haglund was born in 1905 and died in 1985.

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West Seattle bicycling: 3 notes about 2-wheel-focused events
April 19, 2009 8:32 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Environment | How to help | Transportation | West Seattle history

SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE BIKE-A-PALOOZA TOMORROW: Looks like the 70s for Monday. bicyclist35thavalon.jpgSo after work, get on your bike and ride over to Camp Long, where the monthly Sustainable West Seattle meeting at 7 pm tomorrow will feature Bike-A-Palooza, with speakers and exhibits as described here. Even if you’re not riding yet, but maybe mulling the possibility, there’s a lot to see and hear.

WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE BICYCLE TRAIL CLEANUP, MAY 23: As the official webpage for this cleanup asks, “Do you ever ride the trail to West Seattle or commute to downtown? It is a mess!” Check out the plan here; maybe you even know a business or group that wants to get involved. bathhousestreettabling.jpgBut even if you can “only” volunteer yourself, go here to sign up.

2ND ANNUAL WEST SEATTLE BIKE TOUR, JUNE 7: Tour “some of West Seattle’s most influential landmarks,” as the Southwest Seattle Historical Society puts it, 12:30 pm-2 pm Sunday 6/7 — going from the Log House Museum to the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, Anchor (Luna) Park, and the Duwamish Longhouse. The tour’s creator, museum assistant Sarah Frederick, says, “Much of the route is a bike path or part of the existing Alki Cultural Trail. Taking the history out of a museum and or standard educational setting is refreshing for the patrons. It’s wonderful to stand on the spot where something actually happened and bring it to life through stories.” To join the tour, it’ll be $5 museum members/$7 non-members – to sign up in advance, call Sarah at 206-938-5293 or e-mail shop@loghousemuseum.org.

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Author in West Seattle to honor Al Skaret, other Bunker Hill heroes
April 18, 2009 8:37 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

By Ron Richardson
Special to West Seattle Blog

Maxwell Taylor Kennedy came to West Seattle to pay tribute to Al Skaret and other heroes of the 1945 USS Bunker Hill attack.

(From left, John McNeil, Al Skaret, Lou Tice, Maxwell Kennedy, Art Shipe, Wilton ‘Hoot’ Hutt, Lou Biotano. Al, Art, ‘Hoot’ and Lou were all Bunker Hill crew members)

Over the past four years our neighbor Al Skaret has been interviewed and ultimately featured in Maxwell Taylor Kennedy’s 2008 book ‘Danger’s Hour: The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot Who Crippled Her’ (you can see video clips on this page of the book’s promotional website).

This past Wednesday, Mr. Kennedy, son of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, came to the Pacific Institute in West Seattle to honor Al and crew members of the USS Bunker Hill. He gave an inspiring talk, like a good college lecturer, about the war in the Pacific, its origins, the struggle, the sacrifice and the final victory. Mr. Kennedy showed a collection of photos from the National Archives that illustrated episodes he discovered as he researched his book.

Maxwell Kennedy showed a photo of a handwritten note prepared by pilot Al Turnbull which said “Keep chute on in case wing comes off.”

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Alki Homestead’s future: An update from owner Tom Lin
March 25, 2009 12:16 pm
|      25 COMMENTS
 |   Alki Homestead | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

After both of the stories we published here the past two days about concerns regarding the Alki Homestead‘s future (here and here), we mentioned trying to reach owner Tom Lin for his comment on his plans for the landmark restaurant, two months after the fire that closed it. Here’s what he just sent us:

It has been 2 months since the fire at Alki Homestead and I appreciate everyone’s concern as to what to do with the property. Hopefully this will provide some insight as to what is going on.

My main concern is to find a place for my employees to work. It has not been easy due to the economic condition of the market. I have looked at over several restaurants that are for sale in West Seattle and finally found one that everyone likes. I presented the letter of intent yesterday and hopefully it will work out. The employees are thrilled to have the opportunity to work together as a team again — over 10 of them. It is not going to be named Alki Homestead. However, the spirit will be kept alive until Homestead reopens.

It will be a long road ahead to restore Alki Homestead. The insurance is still in the process of getting settled. I have to say that the insurance companies I am working with are professional and extremely helpful. They have a process that they have to go through in order to settle the claim. It just takes time and they are doing the best they can.

I called my insurance adjuster yesterday and asked them to release the property. They called back immediately with permission to go ahead with a modified cleanup. I can start cleaning up the place, but I should keep the contents intact until the insurance settles. Technically, the insurance companies own the property inside the building because they are paying for it.

Where do we go from here? I have been working with my architects and Mark Fritch of Mark Fritch Log Homes. Mark sent a letter to West Seattle Herald on March 24th. I hope you will have a chance to read it. Mark is the great grandson of the original builder, Anton Borgen, who helped build Alki Homestead and Log House Museum.

I met up with the board of Log House Museum a month ago. Their position is to restore the building regardless of the “use” of the building. They believe that as long as a viable business can pay the rent, then the building is saved.

I disagree with that view. The building is the shell, but the spirit is the Alki Homestead. To bring back the building without Alki Homestead is like visiting your grandmother’s house after she passed away, kind of empty. I have owned it for 3 years. I am the one who has seen:

1, Customers celebrating their 50th anniversary because that is where they had their wedding rehearsal.
2. The Ericksons, who have been coming every Friday night for the past 27 years.
3, The couple who celebrated their 75th anniversary, and they met at the beach when they were 16 years old.

The stories go on and on.

Maybe all of you can help me preserve the spirit of the property as well as the historical use of this great site. Maybe the Log House Museum can have their annual gala at Alki Homestead Restaurant in the future, instead of holding those events at other non-historic venues, as in the past 2 years.

I believe action speaks louder than words. If you would like to help with the project, then let’s be constructive. We need to stay positive and move forward. A lot of work needs to be done. Let’s bring Alki Homestead Restaurant back and let’s make this project something we can all be proud of.

Thomas Lin

(added 1:35 pm – We’ve just spoken with Lin by phone; he won’t elaborate on which restaurant he’s looking into – the two closed restaurants that have been for sale in West Seattle for months are the former Beato and Blackbird.) He also attached a WSB-addressed version of the letter he mentioned, from Mark Fritch, a great-grandson of the builder of the Homestead and the Log House Museum – read on to see it in its entirety:Read More

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Alki Homestead’s post-fire future: Two follow-ups
March 24, 2009 4:34 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Alki Homestead | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from January 16)
Two follow-ups this afternoon, the day after our Monday report about the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s announcement of concern regarding the fate of the Alki Homestead restaurant, an official city landmark, closed since fire heavily damaged its interior two months ago. We just talked with inspector Michael Griffin in the city Department of Planning and Development regarding the complaint filed last week about the building’s condition (noted online here). He tells WSB he has inspected the site and its only potential violations are that its roof and some windows are open to the elements, so building owner Tom Lin will be given a warning notice to take care of those problems. If he doesn’t, then a citation would follow. Aside from the roof/window openness, Griffin says, the property is “neat and tidy.” Meantime, we checked with the Historic Preservation division of the city Neighborhoods Department, to find out what role they might play, if any, in this situation. Landmarks coordinator Beth Chave tells WSB that she talked with Lin “about a month ago” to go over the review process required for repairs/changes on a landmarked property like this but hasn’t seen an application yet, so doesn’t have an “active file” about the Homestead site. (Meantime, owner Lin has not yet answered our requests for comment.)

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Log House Museum needs help tomorrow: Free treats, too!
March 14, 2009 2:30 pm
|    Comments Off on Log House Museum needs help tomorrow: Free treats, too!
 |   How to help | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

loghousemuseum.jpg

Andrea Mercado from the Log House Museum — where you can check out the history of West Seattle, noon-4 pm Thursdays-Sundays — just sent this note:

Stop in Sunday, March 15th, between 11-2 to help us move file cabinets, brochures, books and papers out from the Log House Museum upstairs. Besides being an enormous help to the Log House Museum and Southwest Seattle Historical Society, you will also get to see the inner sanctum of the museum (upstairs) which is not generally open to the public. (oooooooohhhhh)

A 105 year old log structure is always an adventure to maintain and a joy to work in, but the building cannot handle the weight of our modern-day conveniences.

For 30 minutes, an hour or two of your time… there will be goodies donated by the Alki Bakery and beverages to keep us all going.

The museum’s in the big beautiful historic house shown in the photo above, 61st/Stevens in Alki (map).

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