Babylonia, your relationship is clearly doomed. But here’s the thing, girl. You can’t give up just because she’ll be gone soon. There are so many worthy lovers on Capitol Hill. You must go on and live your life. To inspire you, here are a few Capitol Hill buildings we’d consider giving our big, big love to. We assume CHS commenters will have more.
- Former Horizon Books house, 15th Ave E: She’s been empty since 2009 and sits waiting as 15th Ave E shuffles by her chain-link fences. She’s lonely but she’s adorable.
- Undrearms Apartments: Sometimes it’s best to take things step by step. This beauty lives on the same street as your current doomed lover so you wouldn’t have to totally change your habits. She’s a funky girl but has a great energy despite some questionable grooming habits.
The Sunset Electric building - Sunset Electric: Like you, she’s got an exotic name. Like your current flame, she’s old, falling to pieces and a piece of the neighborhood’s backdrop that will be missed.
- The Winston: What’s that? You need more stability this time? Try this 1905 beauty. Her new owners claim it will be business as usual for the tenants. Plus, she’s in line for a tasteful makeover. Hot, right?
- John Court retail: Oh, we get it. You’re kind of into problem cases. Have we got the girl for you! She’s the polar opposite of where you’ve been looking but you’ll find some familiar traits. For one, she’s been empty for years.
- BMW complex: We can up the drama for you, too. This series of sexy old buildings fills nearly an entire city block and is in the middle of a $9.8 million foreclosure.
- CHS Community Design Preferences: How about a Love Connection-style systematic approach. The CHS Community Design Preferences show three clear favorites. They’re lovely if not statistically valid.
Do most of the occupy people even know where 15th is? It seems that, to them, Pike/Pike is Capitol Hill and the rest is just “gentrification.” To the gentrification argument, I’d say that they are about a decade too late, but whatever.
Keeping the architectural element of Pike/Pine alive is definitely important, but you can do this by preservation of turn-of-the-century gems AND by having stricter design guidelines for the corridor which produce buildings that match the character of those around them.
See these two example of new projects that match the character of the buildings/neighborhood around them (No, I am not jumping on the PDX is greater than Seattle bandwagon, because it’s not):
http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/201
Bottom line, this warehouse does not represent the character that these people “want to preserve.” (I’m not entirely convinced they are really trying to preserve anything more than a place for the occupy group to take over, but again, whatever.) It doesn’t showcase historical significance, and it doesn’t lend itself architecturally to the surrounding neighborhood. It’s a warehouse, and much unlike the auto-row style buildings on Pike/Pine that neighbors have been lobbying semi-successfully to preserve for years..
I’d marry the Biltmore.