Mini-golf good times coming soon — hopefully — to 23rd and Union (Image: Smash Putt)
(Image: Smash Putt)
The inventive minds behind the “mechatronic robot art miniature golf-themed pop-up nightclub” known as Smash Putt are devising a Seattle return. This time around, you won’t have far to walk to tee off.
After vacating an industrial SODO space two years ago, CHS has learned that plans are in the works for the pop-up gaming space to open at the sprawling MidTown Center property, which includes the large empty space left behind by the U.S. Post Office at 23rd and Union.
Smash Putt co-creator Mike McCracken told CHS that Smash Putt’s ninth incarnation could be open by early April and would likely stay open for about three months. That is, if the group can once again maneuver around city and state regulations that don’t easily conform to temporary nightclubs.
“Everything is all tentative on (permits) coming through,” he said. “We’re hopeful, but not 100% confident it’s going to pan out.”
Smash Putt is the brainchild of a group of Seattle-based engineers and artists who have opened the project four times in Seattle, three times in Portland, and once in Denver.
The mini golf course is as much art and mad science project as it is putt-putt, with holes that include lasers and golf ball cannons. “The idea is to create a space of festive playfulness for people to interact with each other, with our work, and our art,” McCracken said.
Smash Putt will join Uncle Ike’s pot shop at 23rd and Union, but McCracken said that was just a happy coincidence.
“We have to be opportunistic about space,” he said. “We noticed (the Post Office space) because they were doing cool community things, like the Punk Rock Flea Market.”
In 2009, Smash Putt popped-up on 12th Ave where Rhein Haus stands today.
Longtime MidTown property owner Tom Bangasser has been planning to sell the 23rd and Union property to make way for a mixed-used project on the site. Late last month, the City Council’s planning and land use committee declined to approve rezoning of the 106,000 square-foot property to allow for a 6-story development.
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What’s their plan for clearing out the sketchiness? It’s gotten really bad (again) in that lot recently, especially at night of course. Shady deals and shootings. The usual crap.
I don’t think it’s really Smash Putt’s responsibility to “clear out the sketchiness”; after all, they’re just a renter, not the land owner. But, having large crowds of people coming into and out of the area several nights a week for a few months would probably have more-or-less the same effect, I would imagine.
And YAY, SMASH PUTT! – since I live less than a block from there!
Yeah you’re right, it’s not their responsibility, but if I was investing in a project I’d want to know what was being planned to clean it up, if anything. They’ll be neck-deep in the sketchy if it’s not sorted out. Last night I walked by there and the scene was not safe, and in the early morning there’s some methy tweaker dude who apparently sleeps and lives behind the old post office.
I watched a shooting directly outside that address just two weeks ago, and another on the corner two days later. As much as I’m not looking forward to woo girls and drunken frat boys, I suspect some more activity on that lot can only be a good thing at this point. Bangasser won’t allow police to issue trespass citations for the nightly parking lot parties, so the neighborhood is low on options.
Betty – how about the 25 more tonight? I live just down the street at 24th + Spring. What more can we do?
Why wouldn’t Bangasser allow the police to cite the folks loitering/dealing? Just curious.
He was denied his re-zoning request to develop a six-story development on that block. Many think that he is purposely letting the property go to hell so that the city will cave and give him the go-ahead.
This is an awesome idea and I’m glad they are doing something cool with that space, it needs it. Yeah there are drug dealers and beggars who hang out in that parking lot, but it’s not like there aren’t other successful night time businesses operating nearby – if The Neighbor Lady and Uncle Ike’s and the Central Cinema continue to have the same foot traffic that they have been over the past few months, I doubt muggings and such will be any worse at 23rd/Union than they are on Broadway. Especially with the construction site doing work late into the night across the street, it’s quite well lit down there.
Ike’s and The Neighbor Lady are across Union, with Midtown Center in between them and that parking lot. Central Cinema is over two blocks away. We’re not just talking about drug dealers and beggars, or even muggings there – we’re talking about shootings. At a major neighborhood intersection with a huge amount of traffic. Three (four?) shootings in less than a month, multiple gunshots, like 15-20 at a time, cars speeding away down residential streets with traffic circles, ready to run down anything that’s in their way. The well-lit construction site across the street? These shootings have all happened between about 5 and 7 p.m., when people are coming home from work and walking their dogs and out with their kids. The lighting hasn’t deterred anything, these thugs don’t give a shit about anything but being able to run away fast enough that nobody really has time to absorb and process what they just saw and heard happen – the people who actually live here are too busy diving to the floor and grabbing their phones to call 911 so we can get some real police presence here, hurrying their dogs inside so they don’t take a stray bullet, grabbing their kids to shelter them, than to wander outside or stand in a window and try to memorize the license plate of a car careening down the block at 50 mph. This isn’t Broadway – nothing like it. I’ve lived a half a block from this lot for almost twenty years, and putting a temporary putt-putt golf place in an old post office to attract hipsters who want to be able to tell everyone how cool they are for going out in the CD isn’t going to help anything. The only thing that will even start to help is to bulldoze that entire block, increase police presence (and not just squad cars wandering around – we need bike patrols and foot patrols as well), and get something in that space that will benefit the neighborhood and help it move forward for everyone here.
+1 +1 +1
I don’t think more foot traffic will really help. While I believe foot traffic will help breathe new life into the lot, I don’t think those holding the guns and dealing the drugs really care who is around. I will not step a foot onto that lot until Mr. Bangasser decides to install security cameras and assert himself as a responsible property owner. I live three houses from the lot. Our car and garbage bins have been collateral damage in these shootings. Next time, it could be my life. Or the children who live across the street from the lot. Mr. Bangasser, do you have cameras on your lot? Will you install some? Are you content with the state of things? I know Mr. Bangasser is NOT responsible for these violent actions, but what about helping the cops identify those causing the trouble? These people park their cars in the lot, drive away as they shot…a camera could really help in my opinion.
if the folks holding the guns don’t care if people are around, they sure as hell aren’t going to care if there’s a camera around.
That’s true. But what if we can give the cops a license plate number or positively ID someone holding the gun? It’s a small change that could make a big difference.
Sounds like SPD needs to reopen the “satellite precinct” they had at Midtown a couple of years ago. Things seemed to improve quite a bit when the ‘bangers had to be on the constant look-out for a patrol unit that might show up at any moment.
they have no reason to staff such a satellite precinct and target crime when the folks in this town have decided SPD should be neutered and prevented from doing its job.
[…] Smash Putt mini-golf themed madhouse bar teeing up for twenty third and Union The mini golf course is as a lot artwork and mad science challenge as it’s putt-putt, with holes that embrace lasers and golf ball cannons. “The thought is to create an area of festive playfulness for individuals to work together with one another, with our work, and our … Learn extra on CHS Capitol Hill Seattle […]
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