Seattle Fire battles blaze in Bellevue Ave lowrise lined up for redevelopment — UPDATE

UPDATE: An image from the blaze sent to CHS by a neighbor

Thanks to reader Mark for the pictures from the scene

A small apartment lowrise at Bellevue and Harrison destined for redevelopment as a six story, 20-unit residential building burned overnight on the western slope of Capitol Hill.

Seattle Fire was called to the scene around 4:21 AM to reports of smoke and flames coming from the two-story building. The fire was reported knocked down and under control just before 5 AM. There were no reported injuries. Continue reading

On Capitol Hill’s Bellevue Ave, Cafe Barjot — Joe Bar’s palindromic sibling — will close to make way for Finch and Pine

(Image: Cafe Barjot

Wylie Bush now lives in the wild suburban rurals of Seattle and is raising a family. His Seattle cafe family will be changing.

Cafe Barjot will close at the end of the month to make way for a new restaurant project after seven years of business on Bellevue Ave E. Its palindromic older sibling Joe Bar will live and love on.

“As melancholy as I feel about closing Barjot I am as excited to write that the space will be reenergized by a new restaurant run by two wonderful people who will serve you food and drink that will quickly make Barjot a happy memory,” Bush announced over the weekend.

First-time food and drink owners and industry veterans Sara Moran and Paolo Gentile are taking over the space to open Finch and Pine later this spring. Moran most recently was part of the kitchen at Melrose’s Terra Plata while Gentile will bring deep wine and cocktail knowledge to the project. Continue reading

Part of Capitol Hill’s class of 2020, Cornelly’s craft pizza and pasta now part of the neighborhood on Summit Ave

Brett Phillips has some Summit Ave pizza for you

With 2021 so far taking a “hold my beer” approach to outdoing 2020 in the stress over things you can’t control department, the comfort of a hot pizza from a neighborhood joint should not be overlooked.

Cornelly’s opening last year down on Summit Ave may have been missed by a few — it ranked inside the top 10 of Capitol Hill newbies in our review of 2020 in food and drink but in only ninth place — but you can make up for that now that the new year is here. Continue reading

Remembering Daniel Streissguth and looking back on the growth of Capitol Hill’s family-run hillside gardens

Daniel and Ben worked together to build the Woodland Path in Streissguth Gardens in 1974. (Image: Streissguth Gardens)

By Lily Hansen, UW News Lab/Special to CHS

On a steep hillside just off Broadway sits just over an acre of cultivated woodlands. Home to Seattle’s third-longest stairway, the Blaine Street Steps, with views overlooking Lake Union and the Olympic Mountains, the idyllic gardens are the 48-year product of one dedicated family: the Streissguths.

Its patriarch, Daniel Streissguth, created the garden in 1962 after purchasing a plot of land and constructed a four-story house just north of the staircase. In 1965, Ann Roth Pytkowicz moved into the house next door and began cultivating her own hillside garden.

Bonding over their shared appreciation for gardening, Daniel and Ann fell in love. They married in 1968, and welcomed a son, Ben Streissguth, in 1970. Together, the family of three built, expanded, and maintained the Capitol Hill oasis known as Streissguth Gardens.

On November 21, Daniel died peacefully at his home of natural causes. He was 96.

In honor of his father’s memory, Ben is remembering Daniel for the loving husband, skilled architect, avid gardener, and community socialite he was. With the help of his fiancee and Streissguth Gardens assistant director Jade Takashima, the two are working to ensure that the green space is maintained for generations to come.

In 1972, Daniel and Ann purchased two hillside lots across the Blaine stairs, looking to beautify the land and expand their garden. Although Ben was only two at the time, he has vivid memories of working with his parents in the newly acquired land.

“Some of my earliest memories are of playing in what’s now called the public garden,” he said. “And realizing, even back then, that the soil that we were working with was really horrible. I don’t know how my parents managed to make [gardening] fun for me, but they did. And I’m so grateful to them for that.” Continue reading

Design review: Board asks for better greenbelt connection in Lakeview slope condo development

A condominium development proposed for the literal edge of Capitol Hill’s westernmost slope will return this week for a second round in the early phase of the city’s design review process.

The virtual design review session will look at the latest plans for 1578 Lakeview Blvd E — a planned six-story, 40-unit development along Lakeview Blvd E that is also envisioned as a way to hold back at least one small stretch of the eroding, crumbling slopes of Capitol Hill’s western edge above I-5. Continue reading

Police investigate overnight gunfire near Tashkent Park

Multiple 911 callers reported gunfire near Capitol Hill’s Tashkent Park early Friday morning. There were no injuries or property damage reported.

Police were called to the area just before 12:30 AM to a report of multiple shots. One caller reported finding shell casings outside their window. According to East Precinct radio updates, police recovered eight shell casings at the scene and were looking through a grassy area for more.

According to radio updates, a check of the area around Belmont and Republican turned up no suspects.

 

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Cornelly set to open early fall, bringing handmade pasta and ‘naturally leavened’ pizza to Capitol Hill

(Image: Cornelly)

Comforting pizza and pasta flavors are coming to the Hill this fall as new restaurant Cornelly finishes a buildout of its Summit and Mercer space and prepares for a takeout-centered opening.

Flanked by coronavirus-related delays, first-time restaurant owners Brett Phillips and Sam Carroll have spent the past five months perfecting the recipes and aesthetics of their new eatery that will join a surprisingly robust block of Capitol Hill food and drink home to Top Pot Doughnuts, the Summit Pub, Single Shot, and Sol Liquor Lounge.

“We wanted to do a neighborhood pizza and pasta place where we focus on doing naturally leavened pizza dough, handmade pastas, extruded pastas, and then really hyper seasonal vegetable plates,” Phillips said. Continue reading

After development project kicked back into motion this week, fire scorches Belmont Ave E property lined up for demolition

A garage part of a large set of properties lined up for redevelopment burned Thursday afternoon and brought a large Seattle Fire response to Belmont Ave E.

There were no reported injuries and damage from the fire appeared to have mostly been limited to the detached garage along Belmont. Seattle Fire was investigating to determine the blaze’s cause.

Seattle Police was also collecting evidence at the scene after being called to a report of squatters on the property earlier this week. Continue reading

Can development help keep Capitol Hill’s slide-prone western edge from slipping?

(Images: PB Architects)

We ask a lot of the designs for Capitol Hill’s new multifamily developments. A new project in the works is going to be asked to help hold up Capitol Hill — literally.

Set for its first session in front of the East Design Review Board this week, a planned six-story, 40-unit development along Lakeview Blvd E is being envisioned as a way to hold back at least one small stretch of the eroding, crumbling slopes of Capitol Hill’s western edge above I-5.

Terracon, our geotechnical engineers have recently studied the soil and did test borings, and found the hillside to be stable,” the property owner and developer writes about the project in a recent response to community feedback on the proposal recorded in the city’s permitting system. “The soil that is to be removed during construction will be done in sections. As each is removed, tie-backs will be installed to insure stability. The new buildings themselves will then add permanent stability to the whole hill.” Continue reading

Amazon driver — and mom — reported victims in Capitol Hill carjacking

The weekend rush of last minute gift delivery hit a speed bump on Capitol Hill Friday night after a reported carjacking of an Amazon delivery vehicle.

According to East Precinct radio reports, the suspect implied he was armed and forced the delivery person’s mother out of the waiting white Prius during Friday night rounds in the 200 block of Belmont Ave E just before 5 PM. Continue reading