Who Are the Allies of Seattle’s History & Heritage?
Creative & collaborative approaches are necessary to preserve the quality of our historic spaces.
Flying from New York City to Seattle last October with my wife and our tuxedo cat, finally completing our cross-country relocation and marking 15 years since I last called the Emerald City home, I wondered who is tending to the future of Seattle’s past. Who contributes to telling the world about the important stories of my hometown?
During my time away, I developed an archive and heritage program for a leading New York City real estate company and was involved with a vibrant community of archivists focused on outreach. Through my work with The Durst Organization, I learned how visionary developers can bring about change that is informed and inspired by history, whether through helping establish the NYC Archaeological Repository or donating to Columbia University the Seymour B. Durst Old York Library, a collection spanning over four centuries of NYC history.
Since 1973, the nonprofit Creative Time has commissioned and presented public art works in a wide variety of historic sites around New York City, many of them in a state of change, including Duke Riley’s Fly By Night at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, an homage to carrier pigeons. The revitalization of Manhattan’s High Line transformed an abandoned elevated freight track into a lively park and public arts space. During a hard-hat tour of the site in 2008, I could scarcely imagine how the project would transform the area. The High Line’s conversion reminded me of Gas Works Park, another popular re-imagined and regenerated industrial relic.
As we arrived in Seattle, many people were talking about the Showbox. A coalition of preservation advocates banded together to successfully designate the site as a city landmark. Despite this achievement, the Landmarks law alone does not guarantee the building will continue to host music, especially as downtown density and increased housing remain priorities.
Here’s where I imagine Paul Allen, coming to the rescue. As Knute Berger wrote about Allen, “[he] transformed his hometown yet he always seemed connected to that little bit of Dick’s Drive-in that resides in every local’s soul…. He saved the Cinerama movie theater - one wonders if he could have saved The Showbox, too.” In returning to Seattle, Allen’s legacy looms even larger. Just take a look at the evolution of the Experience Music Project, and establishment of the Seattle Art Fair and Living Computers Museum + Labs. For sports fans, who can forget his efforts to save the Seahawks? An exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum showcases his collection of paintings and other artworks, underscoring his intention for these works to be accessible.
Now that Allen is no longer here to take the bold steps necessary to preserve the Showbox, which benefactors will step in? In the past few months I’ve been inspired by projects where businesses and nonprofits partner to attract resources and support and ultimately help us recognize Seattle’s past while moving forward.
NHL Seattle has brought hockey back over 100 years since the Seattle Metropolitans won the Stanley Cup, the first American team to do so. During a recent Science and the City program, the Seattle Center Arena architects discussed incorporating community feedback that paid homage to the Seattle World’s Fair where the arena will be located. Their commitment to preserving the roof and other aspects of the 1962 Worlds Fair Pavilion at the new venue is laudable.
We celebrated my wife’s birthday at Bothell’s Anderson School. Owned and managed by McMenamins, this Art Deco school has been converted into a hotel, restaurant, and event venue, with a restored pool. Past and present significant local figures from teachers to business leaders are recognized in each hotel room. The hotel is filled with artworks that are based on historical photos and documents. If you’d told me years ago I’d go to Bothell for a staycation, I would have said you were dreaming. Yet, there we were, engrossed.
Birch Road Cellars is a co-working space located in the Stimson Green Carriage House in First Hill and opened in May 2019. Built in 1901, the building is owned by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation. Following a three-month renovation of the space led by the Chicago-based Birch Road Group, the house is available for members and guests to host meetings, store spirits and wine in a climate-controlled cellar, and gather together for social events. By including reversible interior elements, Birch Road retains original features, such as the hay door in the upstairs bathroom, along with amenities including a self-service bar, and a fingerprint ID security system. This adaptive reuse both generates membership and rental revenue while linking the visitor to the property’s past.
It’s clear that there are a number of organizations and companies that value local history. Encouraging examples like NHL Seattle, McMenamins, and Birch Road make one wonder about the Showbox’s future. How can Seattle’s music heritage continue to play on? I look forward to finding out.
