Went to Gasworks Park with some friends yesterday, thank you Richard Haag for the incredible park. I plan to be here every Wednesday this summer.
So the “landmark” Lusty Lady is going out of business. I think they should keep the marquee and hire whoever writes these jokes to carry on the tradition.
I keep seeing these stacks of drums off 99 in South Seattle and finally I stopped to go check them out. We should make buildings out of these things, like big building blocks. Ban, do it!
I went to the Central Library today to view some coveted reference materials, and as always was in awe of the architecture. This building is easily criticized on the basis of cost and maintenance, maybe circulation. But now that I have been there many times, and I finally understand the book spiral, I would say that the circulation is one of the building’s great features, with the exception of the experience of the first time user. The spatial composition is great.
The Cold Storage Building, partially demolished, partially occupied. I hope to find out more about the story behind this building.
If only the rest of the world was designed like this place. Beautiful, peaceful, smart, ambitious. The photo is of the newly renovated Architecture Hall. The landscaping still needs to fill in a bit.
Here is a link to the website for a new film about early Northwest Modernism, premiering in May. Features interviews with Gene Zema, Arne Bystrom, Fred Bassetti, Ralph Anderson, and Wendell Lovett. Looks great, I can’t wait to see it.
To follow up on the previous backyard cottage post, here is a simliar type under construction in the Laurelhurst neighborhood in Seattle. It is not actually an ADU or backyard cottage, it is a garage/studio. But it has the scale and feel of a backyard cottage, so it is at least an interesting model for the new building type. It is in the rear yard of a through lot, and across the street from the Burke Gilman Trail. This one is designed by Shed and built by Dolan Construction, here are links to their websites:
www.shedbuilt.com
www.dolanbuilt.com
New project just completed by Pb Elemental. I worked on this project a bit when I was there a couple years ago. Steep site, difficult permitting, down economy, many changes, but came out well. Check out Pb Elemental at www.pbelemental.com
The South Lake Union neighborhood in Seattle is changing. What was for a long time an overlooked neighborhood of low commercial, industrial, and residential buildings is quickly being rebuilt into a neighborhood of slick midrise office, residential, and biotech buildings. Of course, this is old news, but now that it has been several years we are starting to see many buildings completed. It is nice to see that many of the more noteworthy existing buildings have been kept and restored. This might be the most interesting aesthetic of the neighborhood, the juxtaposition of charming older buildings with crisp modern ones. Many of the older buildings really are quite exceptional; many of the new are some of Seattle’s better recent architecture. However, it does make me cringe a bit when I think about how many buildings were torn down to make way for all this new development.
There is also the South Lake Union Trolley, which may seem too short of a line to be effective, but I admire the attempt at alternative modes of transportation, and it could grow into something greater. The neighborhood definitely lacks the cultural vitality that it has tried so hard to market; I suppose that will come with time.
