A little more Bill’s off Broadway

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(Image: CHS)

(Image: CHS)

Breaking news from Harvard and Pine:

Update. We have been informed that the development of the property that has housed Bill’s off Broadway since 1980 is moving a little slower than originally thought. As a result we have decided to remain open until at least November 30th. (maybe longer) As part of our (wind down) we stopped brunch last weekend but will start it up again soon. Plus we will be open for at least the first three months of NFL Season. The Greenwood location is still scheduled to open on September 1st.
Don

We told you here about the plans for Don Stevens to open a second Bill’s in Greenwood and shutter the original at the end of July for two years of construction. Sounds like fans get — at least — a four-month reprieve.

Capitol Hill food+drink | Dulces to take another spin at 19th/Madison

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9076796675_c04d85612f_b9076797511_fe198fe41fTip your neighborhood blogger. You can reach us via mail or call/txt (206) 399-5959.

Dulces Latin Bistro is ready to give Capitol Hill another try, it seems. After a two-year odyssey that began with a 2011 exit from the restaurant’s original Madrona home, Carlos Kainz and Julie Guerrero are making plans to revive their bistro inside the Lawrence Lofts project at 19th and Madison.

The husband and wife team haven’t yet confirmed the project but permit filings indicate the project underway in the new retail space on the backside of the Hill is a Kainz-Guerrero production. “We are moving to the Madison Valley and will reopen in mid-September,” the Dulces site promises.

Geographic labels aside, the project marks the couple’s third bout of interest in becoming part of the Hill area’s food and drink scene after leaving Madrona. CHS reported at one point that Dulces was later lined up for Broadway’s Joule building. Next came word that the new Dulces was destined for the Oola Distillery project where Zoe roosts now. Ultimately, after 19 years in business in Madrona, Dulces landed downtown on Western Ave. By summer of 2012, Dulces was shuttered again.

With the Dulces project lined up to connect the street to E Madison, 19th Ave will have a somewhat disconnected but bolstered food and drink scene. This fall, Tallulah’s from Linda Derschang and a Molly Moon’s ice cream and cookie shop Hello Robin will open in the soon-to-be-completed 19th and Mercer building just south of the Kingfish Cafe, Fuel Coffee and Monsoon.

What shape the new project will take is left to be seen. Contractor Atelier Drome is at work in the space below the Lawrence’s “131 High-end/Loft Apartments.” Rent runs $25 per square foot per year for the two 2,600 and 3,500-square-foot spaces that were available. Lawrence Lofts is also home to the Breathe Hot Yoga studio.

Meanwhile, another new restaurant project in new construction on the edges of Capitol Hill is ready to open its doors at 15th and Pine. Le Zinc, from the folks behind Maximillien, is preparing for its soon-to-be-announced debut.

You can learn more at dulcesbistroandwine.com.

Capitol Hill food+drink notes

Patio-400x300

(Image: Garage Billiards)

  • The timely project to better connect Garage to the new bustling south Broadway of streetcars and Pike/Pine party crowds has been completed as the billiards and bowling joint unveiled its new streetside patio and bar. “The 2,000 square foot space features a covered, heated and open-air bar.” Noted!
  • It’s time to say goodbye to Chutney’s “Grille on the Hill” – the Indian restaurant about to be booted by the project to build this four-story apartment building on 15th Ave E is telling customers this is its final week of business. CHS walked away with a commemorative can of mango pulp and a Taj Mahal lager promo mirror as management-approved souvenirs.
  • Also on 15th Ave E, Monday afternoon report of swarm of bees wandering the avenue. Don’t panic. It’s for a good, sticky sweet cause.
  • One more 15th Ave E note. Frequent visitor to the street Parfait Ice Cream is taking its truck and going brick and mortar for the first time… in Ballard.
  • Cantinetta opening down the Hill in Madison Valley.
  • A food+drink angle on The Egyptian’s demise:
  • If you have any Seattle Times paywall clicks left, here’s what they say about Chico Madrid: “It’s part of the new wave of casual eateries with a European sensibility, where the food is understated and unfussy, focusing on charcuterie, cheese and other imported gourmet products so the kitchen staff doesn’t do the heavy lifting.” Suppose you don’t necessarily need to click now, no?
  • Entrepreneurs considering the food and drink economy on Capitol Hill might want to consider the food and drink and cannabis economy.
  • The Canterbury will have new kings — kings who “would like to explore keeping the Canterbury name and having an expanded family seating area.”
  • Capitol Cider finally opened to the public last week. CHS showed you inside. What do you think of it?

 

This week’s CHS food+drink advertiser directory

Wanted: Tenant for one Capitol Hill movie theater, moviegoers for another

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Anticipation, originally uploaded by liquidnight.

We’ve held the funeral. Now it’s time for the plot twist in which the hero springs back to life.

While all of the machinations haven’t fully been revealed, it’s official: The Egyptian Theatre will go dark June 27.

Lauren Kleiman, spokesperson for Landmark Theaters, confirmed Monday that the Mark Cuban-backed art-house chain is ending its lease with Egyptian building owner Seattle Community College at the end of June.

“We couldn’t come to terms on a new lease with the property owners,” Kleiman said.

Kleiman said Landmark had only known about the closure for a few days. She could not offer any specific details on why Landmark had so abruptly ended the lease at 801 E Pine, only that “the economics of running a single screen theater are very difficult.”

SCC Spokeswoman Janet Grimely confirmed in an email that Landmark had declined to renew its lease. Grimely said the theater space would remain empty until a new tenant is found. The school already operates a theater space in the Broadway Performance Hall across the street.

The 600-seat Egyptian will be up for lease sometime after July 1, once Landmark fully moves out its theater equipment. In the meantime Grimely said the building’s classrooms and offices, known as SCCC’s Fine Arts Building, will stay open. SCCC will also continue to host its own events in the theater space.

Despite Landmark’s departure, Seattle International Film Festival hopes to be back in the theater space for next year’s festival.

“Seattle Central Community College has been a great steward of the building and the Festival since they purchased the property,” SIFF artistic director Carl Spence said in a statement Monday. “We are hopeful that SIFF will be able to continue to host the Seattle International Film Festival at the Egyptian Theatre in the future.”

WA-loc-EGYPTIANSIFF and the Egyptian share an extended back-story. Built in 1916, the former Masonic temple was bought by SIFF founders Darryl MacDonald and Dan Ireland in 1980. The duo were the first to transform it into the Egyptian-themed theater. After running it for nearly a decade, SIFF sold the theater to Landmark in 1989. SCCC bought the building two years later, keeping Landmark as its tenant.

SIFF has no stated plans to swoop in and keep the Egyptian running as a full time theater, like their 2011 move to re-open the Uptown.

Another interesting element that could affect the future of the theater is the building appears to be eligible for preservation under the National Register of Historic Places and the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.

CHS broke word of the Egyptian’s closure on Sunday. According to several witnesses and people close to the situation, management at the Egyptian told midnight moviegoers that the theater would be closing soon.

For those planning to be there for the final show on the 27th, it looks like you will be saying goodbye to the current iteration of The Egyptian with the continued run of Before Midnight slated for the last listed showtimes next Thursday, according to the Landmark site. This weekend’s final midnight movie will be Brazil.

Landmark had been struggling in recent years, going on the block in 2011 in an effort to recoup massive investment in the theater chain. The company is not currently up for sale.

Kleiman said Landmark’s other Capitol Hill theater, the two-screen Harvard Exit, is not closing. CHS could not reach The Exit’s landlord for comment.

UPDATE: You can listen to jseattle talk with KUOW about The Egyptian here (MP3).

UPDATE: Seattle Central tells the Puget Sound Business Journal it will issue a “request for proposals” for the theater space within a month. KING TV reports that rent for the facility has been about $8,400 a month.

New trolley buses coming by 2015, City boosts county’s service on nine key Seattle lines

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lfr_septa

(Image: New Flyer)

New trolley buses coming by 2015
CHS has reported on the long, winding road to replacing Metro’s fleet of aging trolley buses. This week, King County has announced it is done shopping:

King County Metro Transit announced today it will replace its aging trolley fleet with new all-electric New Flyer coaches that will take about one-third less energy to power. Metro is second only to San Francisco in having the largest electric trolley fleet in the nation.

Metro plans to initially purchase up to 141 trolley buses – about 10 percent of its entire fleet – under a contract with New Flyer totaling up to $164 million. Future bus purchases will be dependent on fleet needs and whether Metro is able to avoid service reductions in the coming years.

“Electric trolleys have a lot of fans, and I’m one of them,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “They’re quiet, they run clean, they’re part of our transit heritage, and studies confirm they’re the best for moving riders in our very hilly and dense urban environment.”

Federal and Metro capital funds will be used to purchase the buses, with the first prototype expected to arrive in 2014. Riders can expect to see new coaches hit the streets in 2015.

The announcement includes some data on Capitol Hill’s new rides:

The New Flyer electric trolley buses will use an estimated 25-30 percent less energy than the current electric trolley buses, and use regenerative braking that puts power back into the energy system.

The trolleys also will be able to operate off-wire on battery power for short distances – a feature that will allow the bus to reliably reroute around collisions without calling for a Metro push truck. It also will reduce the need to substitute diesel buses when construction affects routes along electric bus corridors.

The new buses will have low floors for easier and faster boarding and exiting. They include an updated system to secure wheelchairs, and the 60 foot buses will have three doors, air conditioning and the ability to kneel the full length of the bus.

City boosts county’s service on nine key Seattle bus lines
CHS has covered more talk of cuts to Metro’s service, but now nine routes will see service increases as the City of Seattle puts $750,000 towards expanding night and weekend bus rides.

“The City of Seattle is buying more than 5,000 hours of added service per year through early 2016 on nine high ridership bus routes in Seattle,” city officials announced June 16. The route increases are being funded through the Bridging the Gap levy that has purchased “45,000 hours of transit service each year” since 2008 according to a City of Seattle release.

Funds from the voter-approved levy will go towards increasing night and weekend service on routes: 5, 10, 21, 40, 41, 48, 49, and 120. In February 2014, funds will also go toward the Aurora RapidRide.

UPDATE: Here is Seattle Transit Blog’s take on the announcement.

The monetary booster shot comes during trying times for King County Metro, and will ideally reduce the wait time – and frustration – for some bus commuters.

“It’s great to be able to add this service at a time of ridership growth,” King County Metro general manager Kevin Desmond said in a statement. The City of Seattle release claims the added funds will “increase evening and weekend frequency on high-ridership routes from 30 to 15 minutes or from 60 to 30 minutes.” Serving as a relatively small fix, officials say there is still more work to be done to create long term solutions.

From the City:

Since 2008 the City of Seattle has used Bridging the Gap funds to purchase up to 45,000 hours of transit service each year. Using $750,000 in savings from Levy-funded projects, the City of Seattle is buying 5,000 additional hours of service on priority bus routes identified in the Transit Master Plan that serve SR 99, Interstate 5, and major arterial streets, including:

Route 5 (Greenwood to Downtown)

Route 10 (North Capitol Hill to Downtown)

Route 21 (West Seattle to Downtown)

Route 40 (Northgate-Crown Hill-Ballard-Fremont-South Lake Union-Downtown)

Route 41 (Lake City-Northgate-Downtown via Interstate 5)

Route 48 (University District to Mt. Baker Light Rail Station)

Route 49 (University District to Pike/Pine and Downtown)

Route 120 (West Seattle to Downtown)

 

Additionally, the pre-existing Metro Transit Now commitment providing 5,000 hours of 100 percent Metro-funded service would go into effect in February 2014 and fund more trips on the Aurora RapidRide E Line.

Nails Across America makes well-manicured Capitol Hill stop

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A small taste of the nail designs stopping by Capitol Hill on June 18 - Creature w/ permission to FAS

A small taste of the nail designs stopping by Capitol Hill on June 18 – Creature w/ permission to CHS

Getting your nails done can land you in the manicure archives on Tuesday when New York artist Breanne Trammell stops through Capitol Hill’s Creature ad agency on a tour called Nails Across America. Trammell, a Printmaking grad from the Rhode Island School of Design is collecting oral history’s from manicure clients during a road trip across the country, and now it’s Seattle’s turn.

On the road since May 28, Trammell will arrive on Capitol Hill Tuesday June 18, and begin profiling locals for her project. The trip will conclude with a published archive based on 500 sets of nails, as well as the people behind them. Trammell who actually became a licensed nail tech in New York for the project says she will “document these exchanges with audio recordings, photography, and video to create a web-based project archive.” A few of those archive entries could be Capitol Hill residents. Continue reading →

Fratelli Cows Park? Name the new park at 19th and Madison

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The community project to develop a park at 19th and Madison has their preliminary landscape design completed. Now the park isBeforeAndAfter19thandMadison waiting on two things: funding, and a name.

The city is currently soliciting suggestions for the park’s name — community members with ideas can email paula.hoff@seattle.gov or fill out the survey here.

The final design sketches include a plan to replace the concrete wall on Madison Street with a terraced amphitheater and a slide. The design features a large concrete path which will run through the middle of the park.

“A lot of people use it as a cut through, which we were cognizant of for our design,” said park steering committee member Tomilyn Rupert.

Because grass has high maintenance costs, there will be no grass field at the new park. Instead, the steering committee has formed a partnership with nonprofit Seattle Works to maintain the park’s plantings.

The city has final say on the park’s name, but they will likely listen to community input. The committee hopes to assemble a list of several names to present to the city group in charge of the decisions. Suggestions so far include:

  • Diverse City Park
  • Cascade View Park
  • Chestnut Park/Mystique Park (in reference to the historical street names of the corner where the park stands)
  • Nexus Park (“We’re at the convergence of Capitol Hill and the Central District,” Rupert said).

Once a name is selected, the next step for the 19th and Madison Park will be making the design a reality by bringing in volunteers and securing grant funding. Getting the community involved in the park’s development will be crucial, Rupert said.

“There’s a wide range of opportunities and time commitments available,” said committee member Stephanie Henning.

The park stands in the shadows of the Hearing, Speech and Deafness Center building and across the street from the Lawrence Lofts building that replaced the old Fratelli Brothers site.

Henning said the park will host a community party at this year’s Capitol Hill Night Out, including lawn games and possibly a barbeque.

Community members looking to get involved with the park’s development can attend the monthly general meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6:30 on the 2nd floor of the Hearing, Speech and Deafness Center or email the organizers at parkat19thandmadison (at) gmail.com.

plan

The planned design for the park at 19th and Madison will include a terraced stone or concrete amphitheater and will retain the maple tree on the 19th Avenue sidewalk.

Capitol Hill’s The Egyptian movie theater slated to close

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(Image: Landmark Theatres via Facebook)

(Image: Landmark Theatres via Facebook)

Call it a sign of things to come. The curtains never rose for Saturday’s midnight showing of the classic Casablanca at the old Masonic temple that has become Capitol Hill’s Egyptian Theatre. The audience was told the projector was broken. Somebody else said it was a digital rights expiration issue. Whatever the cause, the disappointed crowd had better get used to a dark screen at E Pine and Harvard.

After more than 30 years of independent film, The Egyptian will go dark at the end of the month, according to people familiar with the situation. We have not yet confirmed details with management or the building’s owners.

It’s not yet clear what will come next for the old movie theater transformed by the creators of the Seattle International Film Festival and operated by indie film house Landmark Theatres since 1989.

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(Image: CHS)

Like the Egyptian itself, the Mark Cuban-backed Landmark chain has seen better days. In 2011, the investor put the company on the block in an effort to recoup massive investment in the theater chain. No buyer came forward. Meanwhile, the further erosion of the movie theater business coupled with new, more nimble, better financed competition has put the chain in an even more precarious place. Upgrades at The Egyptian and its sister Landmark venue The Harvard Exit as well as the other Landmarks Seattle locations have been mostly limited to changes like the addition of latte bars at the Capitol Hill outlets a few years back. Next month, Sundance Cinemas will re-open the former Landmark Metro location in the University District with “reserved seating, big comfy seats with tablettes, stadium seating, brand new digital projection, a new full bar serving drinks and bistro fare.”

We’re still confirming details around The Egyptian but it sounds like it’s not just about a challenged industry. Employees have shared with audience members that they were told the theater’s management was not preparing for the closure and that the situation with the building’s landlord has come about suddenly. A review of property records shows that the building once owned by the Seattle Community College system was part of a round of Sound Transit acquisition related to the U-Link light rail project.

We’re checking with Sound Transit to learn more about the $1.5 million price tag in the 2010 transaction and the building’s current relationship, if any, with the school. UPDATE: We’re also waiting on more information from SCCC. As for the Sound Transit transaction, another record we found indicates that the comment below is correct — Seattle Colleges is the property’s owner and the 2010 transaction was related to the tunnel easement. The $1.5 million value from the records is the original purchase price paid in 1992. Sorry for the confusion and mistake regarding the property records. UPDATE Monday 6/17/13 9:28 AM: Seattle Central tells CHS that the theater chain made the decision to leave. “Landmark Theatre declined renewing its lease with the college and said it would move out by the end of June,” a spokesperson tells CHS. “No decision has been made on what will happen to the theater space next.” UPDATE 6/17/13 9:45 AM: Local representatives for Landmark said they are not authorized to comment on the closure and referred CHS to the corporate offices in New York. We have confirmed that the rumored last night for the theater will, indeed, be June 27th.

The 1915-built masonry building continues to host Seattle Central facilities in addition to the theater. The three-story building appeared in a survey of Seattle masonry buildings that don’t appear to meet current seismic standards. There are currently no records listed with the city indicating plans for any near-term construction at the site.

As for movie end of things, Sunday’s first showing of Before Midnight was slated to begin as scheduled and a short line formed prior to showtime in the Father’s Day sunshine. The theater will continue to operate through the end of the month, we’re told. Next weekend’s midnight movie, if you’re feeling especially nostalgic, will be Brazil, the tale of “a dystopian world in which there is an over-reliance on poorly maintained (and rather whimsical) machines.”

“European cut” ending, of course.

UPDATE 9:20 PM: No further information from the theater or the school yet at this point.

We’ve reported on the changing real estate portfolio of SCCC in recent months including a possible expansion at this Beacon Hill medical facility. Meanwhile, the school is also considering a multitude of new development even as it overhauls many portions of its crowded classrooms. Despite an enrollment drop throughout the system, SCCC has found its facilities squeezed by the nearly 18,800 students it currently serves. Though it nixed plans to build a project with Capitol Hill Housing on property it already owns on Broadway, the school is very much in the mix for being part of the development around the Capitol Hill Station light rail facility where it could build a 105-foot student housing project if the cards play out. In March, CHS reported the school was planning to pull its Erickson Theatre property back into use for class space.

The school’s Broadway Performance Hall continues to be used as a performance venue though it, too, has recently been used more frequently for lectures and instruction. The venue is regularly booked with what might best be described as an eclectic mix of concerts, local performances and recitals as well as the occasional forum — like this recent session about the possible “death” of Capitol Hill as we know it.

UPDATE 10:13 PM: If you’re looking for glimmers of hope, in addition to the upcoming Sundance opening showing that somebody out there still thinks there’s a market for movie theaters, SIFF moved in and reopened the Uptown Theater in late 2011. Given the festival’s historical and ongoing connection with the Egyptian, a similar pairing with SCCC would be an intriguing and positive outcome to the situation at 801 E Pine.

UPDATE Monday, 6/17/13 8:45 AM: We made mention of the aborted showing of Casablanca and a reference to a “digital rights” issue. Here’s an account from one person in attendance who shared the details with CHS:

It was after the saturday night showing of Casablanca was cancelled. They unfortunately took a minute before the showing to tell us about the closure. I say unfortunately because there was an electronic/computer timer on the movie for how long they could show it.. I guess it was digital. It seems the “Midnight Movie” was actually timed out at 11:59 pm. It wouldn’t play. About 45 minutes later when we were all getting refunds in the lobby [redacted] told us the story of what was going on.. Basicly a double suck. I worked at a movie theater (the Uptown) growing up. Really hate to see the Egyptian go.

The tipper said Egyptian’s management contacted the vendor for an updated code but didn’t receive an answer in time to salvage the showing.

Friends of the Volunteer Park Conservatory sue former treasurer for stealing thousands

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A happier day at the Conservatory in the summer of 2010 (Image: CHS)

A happier day at the Conservatory in the summer of 2010 (Image: CHS)

The nonprofit group that recently announced a successful multi-million dollar capital campaign to support the Volunteer Park Conservatory is suing its former treasurer alleging that he stole tens of thousands through financial misconduct that could date back three years.

Friends of the Conservatory filed a civil suit against Daniel Celler in King County Superior Court late last month in an effort to recover some portion of the more than $60,000 the organization says the treasurer ripped off.

According to the lawsuit, sometime around December 2012, Celler transferred at least $66,670 into an account that was under his sole control. FOC’s executive director Anthonio Pettit tells CHS that he was unsure how Celler was spending the money, but that an initial investigation showed that he was using it for personal expenses. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Aviary | Rufous hummingbirds take up summer residence on the Hill

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Untitled, originally uploaded by Minette Layne.

If you watch flowers and feeders closely at this time of year, you may see a hummingbird that typically visits the Hill only in late spring and early summer: the rufous hummingbird.

Rufous hummingbirds are tiny orange and green birds with bright red patches under the chin. The females tend to be paler than males, and their red throat patch is much smaller. As with all hummingbirds, the colors of the rufous hummingbird are hard to see in shadow, but they tend to be brilliant in bright sunlight.

Rufous hummingbirds make a 3,800-mile round trip journey from Mexico to the Pacific Northwest and back every year. Although some other birds fly farther in miles, the rufous hummingbird’s trip is amazingly long for a bird of its small size. The round-trip journey is 78,470,000 times the length of its body. Continue reading →

Artful microhousing joins Capitol Hill Station construction wall

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Green Bird Houses Go Up, originally uploaded by adamjk1b.

A mixed-use project is the newest addition to the ongoing salon of surprises that is the big red construction wall around the Sound Transit light rail site at Broadway between John and Denny.

Here are the details on the artful new microhousing you’ll find at the site:

As summer approaches, new projects are going up on the Red Wall including this latest installation by Seattle’s hardest working trio of Geniuses, SuttonBeresCuller. During the month of June, 85 of these handmade bird houses, painted ‘green screen’ green, will grace the perimeter and high places of the wall. For information on the artists’ work -suttonberesculler.com

Thanks to Adam Kramer for adding the images to the CHS Flickr Pool and @GordonWarner for posting his image to Twitter.

(Image: @gordonwarner)

(Image: @gordonwarner)

Green Bird Houses Go Up, originally uploaded by adamjk1b.