Crybaby Belltown under construction (Image: Alicia Amiri via Twitter)

Amiri

The proprietor of a legendary Pike/Pine music studio, a music industry veteran with Neumos and Capitol Hill Block Party chops, and the leading exporter of Pike/Pine cool to the global craft coffee market are working together on a new project that combines their love for music and caffeine, stiff drinks and pizza. And it won’t be on Capitol Hill.

“Cap hill is too expensive to be feasible for our project,” Alicia Amiri tells CHS. “We’re also looking forward to staking some new ground in a fresh part of town in the face of the changing landscape Capitol Hill.”

Amiri and Crybaby Studios lead Leigh Stone are teaming up with Caffe Vita and Via Tribunali honcho Mike McConnell on a “Capitol Hill complex“-like project taking over an old office building on 2nd Ave in Belltown.

The project will center around Amiri’s new Black Mountain music venue. Planned as a 250-person capacity music club, Amiri said Black Mountain will be all-ages friendly and will neighbor a bar and pizza restaurant. A Caffe Vita Belltown is also part of the plans. Leigh’s Crybaby Belltown studios, practice, and art spaces will fill the second floor of the building.

Amiri says the project is just getting underway and construction is yet to begin on the first floor component of the project but the new Crybaby studios are almost ready to rock. If you’re looking for space to perform or an art studio to work in, Stone is collecting names for a wait list. Send her email here. Room details and rates will be posted soon at crybabystudios.com.

Was offices, soon Capitol Hill west (Image: King County)

CHS visited 11th Ave’s Crybaby in 2011. Stone has said the Belltown opening represents an expansion — not a move. Meanwhile, McConnell’s Vita is celebrating 20 years of Seattle coffee culture.

The new Belltown partnership comes as city officials and community representatives are looking at strategies to preserve and create new arts venues on Capitol Hill as the pressure for housing climbs and marketplace for bar and restaurant tenants remains red hot. It also is a reminder of the continually changing face of the Hill and the neighborhoods of Central Seattle and downtown. For those of you feeling competitive with our neighbor neighborhoods, at least Black Mountain isn’t opening in Hill “arch nemesis” Pioneer Square.