Went out on the sunny clear day after Thanksgiving, to the corner or E Roy and Harvard. This is definitely one of my favorite spots on the Hill, with Harvard Exit, Joe Bar, the view of Queen Anne down Roy, and those cool stone benches with the blueprint tile stuck in them. I’ve always wondered about where the stone benches came from (they come in at 1:27 in the video) anyone know the history behind those?
RECENT SNAPSHOTS
#4 – Olive between John and Summit
Those benches were put in 10 or years ago when I lived on that corner. I’m not entirely certain, but I believe they were made from the architectural details of a downtown building that was being demolished.
This is just a block from my place. I love the area, too. Thanks for these, they are fun!
hhmm… interesting, I always assumed they pre-dated the apartments behind them.
Where strangely attractive, well-dressed people with incredibly white teeth have dinner parties once a week.
No, the benches were put in some years ago, when the powers that be decided the corner should be squared off, instead of the gentle round shape it was (on that corner).
Thanks for the wonderful snapshots!
That’s just two blocks up from my old digs.
My boyfriend and I refer to the big white house opposite the Cornish buildings as Party House. (DAR is always throwing parties there, and we usually wonder if Party House is feasting on the souls of the unwary.)
Living just around the corner gives me the chance to wander through this area almost everyday. I love hearing the music from Cornish students as they practice. And watching the DAR parties from the outside as they dance to “YMCA” gives me something to giggle about. Thanks for highlighting one of my favorite spots on the Hill.
David,
I appreciate your appreciation. Actually the benches were put in approximately 15 years ago, using materials salvaged from the Mountaineers Building, a nice old building formerly at the corner of 7th & Pine and torn down for the Convention Center. The terra cotta ornamentation was stored in the basement of the Eagles Hall for awhile at the instigation of Paul Schell (not then mayor). There they stayed until a local architect/U.W. professor took them all, Kevin Kane. The deal, as I understand it, was that he could have them for free if he took it all.
At the time I was a student at the U.W. Urban Planning school and lived just down from the corner (still do). The corners were broadly cut at the time, with huge curb radiuses, mirroring the Cirque. (If you want an idea how wide, they bordered the sidewalk that goes by the building). As a result, for pedestrians crossing Harvard while walking east on Roy meant this meant walking across a lot of road with cars making fast right turns on to Harvard. So I thought it would be a good idea to bring the curb out to closer to a 90 degree angle, create some public space and make things safer for pedestrians.
The Department of Neighborhoods provided a small grant, Kevin Kane donated the materials, did the design and lent an intern from his office to help with installation (as well as showing up some afternoons himself). He also made some tiles, like the one installed in the “window” of the wall. At the same time, to help across the street, the DAR agreed to fill out their corner too.
Since then they have been mostly maintained by the Cirque Apts. I still see people sitting in the benches and the graffitti, though annoying hasn’t been too bad, so I guess it worked out.
Glenn,
Nearby resident, ex urban planning student and hardly at all a power that be, or even a power that was.