On a daily basis we are hearing, and reading, more about the suicide rate in the military. In addition to those dismal statistics it has become mainstream news that many people returning from one, or multiple tours, from Iraq or Afghanistan, are coming home broken. Many face challenges beyond their abilities to cope. Many find family relationships frayed beyond repair. Many cannot find employment. More are showing up on the streets homeless and lost. Many are wandering around inside their heads trying to avoid the message that they became a monster over there.
Paul, a Seattle resident, faced the fury of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese when they swooped down on the South Vietnamese, American and allied troops on 20 January 1968, forever know as the Tet Offensive. Paul was part of the intensive fighting around Huế that lasted a month. It concluded when the city was destroyed, as the Communists were executing thousands. Paul spent another seven months slogging through the muck in pursuit of the VC. After his tour, and a rotation back to Pendleton, he left the Marines in hopes of putting it all behind him. He never did- Paul spent the rest of his life getting high and incredibly drunk whenever he could. He couldn’t hold a regular job so he honed his skills working with stone. He was good at molding boulders to his will in the most amazing ways. His talent brought him work, as his addictions burned up the money. His relationships were destroyed. His kids avoided him. Four trips to 21-day rehab clinics did nothing. He couldn’t find any peace. He couldn’t stop drinking.
As the years passed his military service became more irrelevant. The monster that his inner voice created only quieted when he was out cold in an alcohol daze. 1968 might as well have been when the dinosaurs roamed. Paul was irrelevant. Paul was alone. Paul was dying inside. Iraq and Afghanistan got all the news. Paul had a very difficult time talking about his experiences beyond clipped words that slipped out half way down the bottle of Jack. He knew I knew, so not a lot had to be said. He experienced what I had not, but he knew I knew. We hung out quite a bit.
Paul’s reactions, and integrations of his experiences, are not all that unique to many I know, or knew, who fought in Vietnam. Many returned to live out “normal” lives. Many did not. Many still deal with the stink of the jungle and all it brought to their young souls.
Paul died of guilt. Sure, his liver was shot from years of booze. The docs also blamed Agent Orange, though that may have been to give him some last day coverage and lesson his deathbed shame. His family had gathered around his hospital bed though he may have never known it, as he never opened his eyes those last few days. Paul was a good guy broken by more than he could ever carry.
Today’s story, carried by the AP, is the truth, whether we want to accept it or not.
“… WASHINGTON (AP) 22 FEBRUARY 2013 –A veteran of the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, former Marine Capt. Timothy Kudo thinks of himself as a killer – and he carries the guilt every day. “I cant forgive myself,” he says. “And the people who can forgive me are dead.”
I’m sorry Paul that there was no cure for you and no relief from your guilt. I miss you- Semper Fi
The Starbucks-leased space where Tully’s was bumped off Broadway will be…
A Starbucks.
The coffee and other beverages that cost more than $3 giant has confirmed its plans to open a store at the bustling corner of Broadway and E Pike.
CHS reported that the global caffeine dominator was taking over the space for purposes untold earlier this year. It could have been an Evolution Fresh. It could have been a Teavana. It could have been a Seattle’s Best Coffee.
Instead, come “in or around May,” the former Broadway State Bank building will be home a “Clover Reserve” style Starbucks store serving Starbucks favorites and reserve coffees. We’re told all Capitol Hill stores are the special “Clover Reserve” variety of Starbuckses. “You have a pretty savvy palette up there,” we’re told.
The Pike at Broadway Starbucks will be the second third formal store for the Seattle-based company on Broadway and fourth outlet on the stretch if you count the Starbucks kiosks nestled inside the QFCs.
Regardless of their motivations, more than 130 people who live, work, go to school or otherwise affiliate with Capitol Hill showed up at the Cal Anderson Shelterhouse Thursday night because they gave a damn. More than 80 of those people gave enough of a damn to vote to keep a community process some four years in the making on the tracks by approving two appointees to the group formed to represent the Capitol Hill Community Council and the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce in discussions with Sound Transit for the transit oriented development of some 100,000 square feet of prime Broadway real estate owned by the agency.
Council president set a positive tone for what would at times be a fracturous process to arrive at a vote. Calling the turnout “more than amazing,” Bakan said, “What we say here echoes across the city.”
Following Wednesday night’s approval of the appointments, architect John Akamatsu, and writer Lisa Kothari will continue to represent the council as part of the Capitol Hill Champion group.
On the other side of the equation, more than 40 people voted against each confirmation. Some said they objected to the manner in which the council had appointed the Akamatsu and Kothari. Others voiced uncertainty about the motivations and actions to represent the community.
“This is a disagreement about policy and procedure,” said a man who identified himself as Pat Thompkins who was a frequent speaker and challenger of the appointees during the Thursday night session. “There’s really been a question of due diligence.”
CHS’s reported earlier this week on the objections raised in emails circulated by the grassroots Capitol Hill Coalition and Reasonable Density Seattle groups to the appointees and the Champion process. Citing fears of an expansion of the station’s possible 85-foot zoning to the rest of the Hill, the emails argued that community members should go to Thursday’s meeting to vote against the confirmations and make a stand against the “upzoning” of Capitol Hill.
Thursday’s council meeting went about as smoothly as one could hope with more than 130 participants in a format that often includes 30 to 40 attendees. This year’s president of the council Seattle Gay News publisher Bakandid his best to keep the session moving forward despite procedural objections from neighborhood activist Dennis Saxman.
Bakan also reminded everybody in attendance that there will be more opportunities for public feedback on the Capitol Hill Station development process soon as the City Council moves toward a springtime vote on legislation outlining its final agreement with Sound Transit on the project. “There will be more discussions to come,” Bakan said. That vote will, of course, involve public sessions of the City Council and the opportunity for public testimony on the development plan. The Urban Design Framework created by the city to capture community priorities for the development will inform the final package.
The community process to shape the development around the light rail station that is planned to open in 2016 dates back for years. Below, we’ve provided a selection of past CHS coverage of Capitol Hill Station development.
UPDATE — 6:00 PM: In an empty parking lot readied for the environmental preparations ahead of the start of construction, dignitaries turned the ceremonial first shovels of dirt for the 12th Ave Arts project. Details of the Capitol Hill Housing-developed mixed-use facility and affordable housing project are below.
“The City is proud to partner with Capitol Hill Housing and the many community organizations involved in the 12th Avenue Arts project to turn a parking lot into a neighborhood hub for artists and residents,” said Mayor Mike McGinn before digging into the dirt pile with Deputy Seattle Police Chief Nick Metz, Senator and candidate for Seattle mayor Ed Murray, Uriel Ybarra from Senator Patty Murray’s office, City Council member Nick Licata, Randy Robinson of KeyBank, Linda Derschang of Linda’s, Smith, etc. and Michael Malone of Hunters Capital.
“Most of the businesses that were opening in the early to mid 90’s were started by folks who were attracted by low rent and the convenient location between Broadway and downtown,” said Derschang in her brief speech before the groundbreaking.
“Nothing more than that. Many of us opening businesses lived on Capitol Hill and we were very community driven, even from the beginning. If anyone had asked me what I thought Pike/Pine would be like now (it didn’t even have a name then) I would never have imagined that it would be the most exciting and vibrant neighborhood in Seattle.”
A Capitol Hill Housing representative said work is underway to start the transformation of the former East Precinct parking lot beginning with the effort to empty and prepare the fuel tanks present on the property for removal. Construction is expected to take 18 months.
Original Report: Thursday brings a celebration of a one-of-a-kind Capitol Hill development project pairing space for the arts with affordable housing. All while making room for the police department to park its vehicles and creating a new home for the building’s non-profit developer.
Capitol Hill Housing’s12th Ave Arts building breaks ground Thursday afternoon with a ceremony including dignitaries, music and some free chow.
12th Avenue Arts Groundbreaking Event
WHAT: Capitol Hill Housing celebrates the groundbreaking of 12th Avenue Arts, with remarks by community leaders and entertainment
WHEN: Thursday, February 21, 2013, 12:30pm – 3:00pm Remarks at 1:00pm Ceremonial groundbreaking at 1:45pm
WHERE: Program at Velocity Dance Center – 1621 12th Ave, Seattle; Groundbreaking at 12th Avenue Arts construction site across the street
WHO: Chris Persons – Capitol Hill Housing
Mayor Michael McGinn
Nick Licata – Seattle City Council
Deputy Chief Nick Metz – Seattle Police Department
Senator Ed Murray (invited)
Uriel Ybarra – Office of Senator Patty Murray
Michael Malone – Hunter’s Capital, Capital Campaign Co-Chair
Linda Derschang – Linda’s Tavern, local business owner
Kevin Nowak – KeyBank
HOW: Free and open to the public; members of the press are encouraged to attend
Event will also feature live music by Bucharest Drinking Team; wood-fired pizza from Via Tribunali and their mobile pizza oven; and coffee courtesy of Caffe Vita.
CHS will have more coverage and pictures from the groundbreaking.
The Washington Ensemble Theatre will be joined by Strawberry Theatre Works and New Century Theatre Company as tenants in the new building. 12th Ave is already home to the Velocity Dance Center and the Northwest Film Forum.
The new 29,000 square-foot building will include 88 apartments, office space, parking for the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct, and 6,000 square feet of theater space described as a “149-seat raked theater with fixed sets, and an 80-seat flexible black box space.” It will also include commercial and restaurant space. No business tenants have yet been announced. We asked groundbreaking dignitary Linda Derschang if she plans to be part of the project — no plans right now, she said.
The architect on the project is SMR Architects, creator of the plans for CHH’s Pantages Apartments on E Denny Way.
Here’s how the numbers behind 12th Ave Arts break down:
Affordable residential units for 30-60% median income households (a mix of studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units at Levels 3-6)
17,000sf of office space (Level 2) — much of the retail space will be occupied by Capitol Hill Housing, the remainder will be leased to mission driven organizations.
6,000sf of retail space, including the infrastructure required to support a restaurant (Ground Floor)
(2) performing spaces — one fixed seat theater; one multipurpose / black box space (Ground Floor)
(111) parking stalls and essential services spaces in support of the Seattle Police Department, East Precinct (Below Grade and GroundFloor)
As for who is going to live in the 88 new apartments when they’re ready in 2014, there are two tracks. For those who qualify, CHH operates on a first come, first served basis. The available units will be listed via capitolhillhousing.org and Craigslist when they are ready for leasing. You can sign up for the CHH mailing list to stay on top of things.
Capitol Hill Housing is using a mix of tax credits, levy dollars, state programs and commercial bank loans to complete the $38 million project and is receiving a $7.7 million loan from the city to help create the development. An agreement for transferring the property from the city to the nonprofit developer was pounded out earlier this year.
The project is the result of a two-decade push from community groups and organizations to create something greater with the East Precinct parking lot. One major sticking point had been the parking infrastructure and concerns over the cost and the number of spaces the project would need to provide. The East Precinct parked 70 cars on the 12th Ave lot and another 30 on a private lot at 14th and Pine. The project was delayed in recent years due to debate over the number of parking spaces that could be made financially feasible in the development. SPD has said it needs around 150 spaces in any development.
For Capitol Hill Housing, the groundbreaking has importance beyond the ability to develop yet another affordable housing project in the neighborhood. With the planned demolition of the Davis Hoffman building CHH had called home, Thursday’s groundbreaking also means progress toward the construction of a new home for the non-profit developer.
Troubled E Olive Way dance club The Social has won a battle with the state’s liquor control board. The war still awaits.
In a ruling made Thursday morning, the club has won a temporary restoration of its liquor license into early March allowing it to reopen this weekend. The Social has been closed since last weekend after the last in a series of temporary licenses expired and the club had thus far been rebuffed in its attempts to secure its permanent license to serve alcohol.
CHS reported earlier this week that The Social’s management sued the state to win its right to serve to serve liquor and is claiming damages of $75,000 for every weekend the club is closed. Meanwhile, CHS has learned that the state and city officials have collected information about the noise from the club and an October shooting incident outside The Social. The liquor board is also looking at possible discrepancies in the licensing application information submitted by The Social’s management.
The temporary license will cover the club until a March hearing on its case against the state, a liquor board representative tells CHS.
The news of the reopening will likely not be popular with many neighbors of The Social who have taken to the CHS comments to complain further about the noise and crowds outside the club. However, organizers of this weekend’s Academy Awards party to benefit Three Dollar Bill Cinema and Gay City Health planned to be held at The Social can now breathe a sigh of relief that their event won’t be further complicated by a last-minute scramble
Get your culture fix on the Hill this weekend with musical theater, dance recitals from Cornish students, book and poetry readings, open mics, off-the-radar live music, and more.
Have something people should know about? Add it to our community calendar.
Northwest wines tasting from small to medium producers. Includes pinot gris, pinot noir, sangiovese, and two outstanding blends. Vino Verite (208 Boylston E), 5 – 8p.
Sustainable farm-sourced wine tasting with selections from Patton Valley. Essence Wine (415 E Pine), 6 – 9p.
This is Also Now: Pre-Party Preparations is part of a lecture series on Northwest art. Tonight’s topic focuses on the art and culture of indigenous tribes and the influence on contemporary artists. With Scott Lawrimore and Raymond Boisjoly. Frye Art Museum, 6:30p.
AwesomeFest 2013: join the Seattle Chapter of Awesome Foundation for their two year party. Hear about latest grant winners, and help pick the next micro-grant winner. Substantial office (900 E Pine), 7 – 10p.
Breadline monthly structured readings and performances plus open mic. Vermillion 7 – 10p.
Author reading: Ron Currie Jr reads from Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles, a “A postmodern love story, self-consciously playful in a Vonnegut-ian way.” Elliott Bay Book Company, 7p.
Nothing But a Man, a 1964 film, is adapted from a 1933 stage play and is “one of the most sensitive films about black life ever made.” Screening through Feb 28th at Northwest Film Forum, 7p and 9p.
See Sam Shepard’s play Buried Child as produced by Seattle University Theatre Department. Opens Thursday and continues weekends through March 3rd. Seattle University Lee Center for the Arts (12th and E Marion), 7:30p
Next to Normal, a Tony award-winning rock musical about bi-polar disorder, continues its run with Balagan Theatre through March 2nd. Generally good reviews if you are into musicals. Balagan at Erickson Theatre, Thurs through Sunday, various times.
Poetry Reading: Koon Woon reads from Water Chasing Water, and Keith Holyoak reads selections from his poetry in the classical Chinese style. Elliott Bay Book Company, 7p.
Open mic where all forms of art are welcome. Black Coffee Coop (501 E Pine), 7 – 11p
Book launch party for The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door by Karen Finneyfrock. We attended a reading when this young adult novel was a work-in-progress and it is hilarious. No joke. Richard Hugo House, 7:30p
Lake Union Civic Orchestra plays Beethoven, Debussy, and Shostakovich. Go hear your civic friends, neighbors, and countrymen and be delighted and surprised by their hidden talents. Town Hall, 7:30 – 9p.
Hot Mess: modern dance mayhem where high art meets high entertainment. Velocity Dance Center (1621 12th Ave), 8p.
Live music: Spencer Moody, Ben Von Wildenhaus, and Corey J Brewer at Cairo (507 E Mercer), 8p.
Gallery talk: informal talk with artists Carolyn Law, NKO, Norman Lundin about thieir works on paper commissions for the current installation Gallery Talk. Frye ARt Mueseum (704 Terry), 2 – 3p.
Community cinema: The Powerbroker is a film about civil rights leader Whitney Young, who was often attacked by Black Americans for his methods to open doors, which contrasted with the Black Power Movement of the time. Frye Art Museum, 2p.
Madeleine Albright: Prague Winter. Former Secretary of State discusses her new book a memorial from her early years in Prague from 1937 – 1948. Town Hall, 2 – 3:30p.
Yoga in a nightclub! What will they think of next? Q nightclub (1426 Broadway), 3:30 – 5p.
Author readings: African American Writers Alliance members read selections of their work in conjunctions with African-American History Month. Elliott Bay Book Company, 7p.
Live music: LP Release show for Grave Babies, with Crypts, Vice Device and YourYoungBoy. Bring earplugs! Highline Bar (210 Broadway E), 9p.
Sunday, February 24
The sixth annual 2013 Urban Poverty Forum focuses on Northwest tribal membersin and around Seattle who still face conditions of poverty. Forum includes representatives from Native American-focused non-profits and tribal leaders. Town Hall, 1 – 2:30p.
Smokin’ Fish is a lighthearted documentary about a Tlingit who leaves mass art production for a summer to learn to prepare his grandmother’s specialty recipe for smoked salmon. Northwest Film Forum, 8p.
The 8th Annual Academy Awards Party is a fancy-yet-affordable affair which benefits Three Dollar Bill Cinema and Gay City Health Project. Dress up and act like you’re on the red carpet while enjoying snacks and no-host bar. The Social (517 E Pike St), 4p.
UPDATE — 7:35 PM: In a 5-5 tie vote, the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board voted Wednesday night that the Melrose Building at Melrose and Pine should not move forward in the nomination process. Meanwhile, the neighboring Pinevue Apartments building will go to the next stage in the process.
“It is remarkably intact but it doesn’t rise to the standard of landmark,” one board member argued in declining to support the Melrose Building’s nomination.
Meanwhile, the board expressed interest in taking a closer look at the Pinevue building including its “really unusual features” and mostly unmodified early 20th century mixed-use-style architecture.
The juxtaposition of the two decisions reveals an interest from the board in the Pinevue as a clear example of a specific building type — in this case, an early mixed-use apartment building — versus what it described as a more mercantile and miscellaneous form for the single-story Melrose. The board also expressed appreciation for many of the unique design elements and craft of the Pinevue. But to perhaps foreshadow what is next for the landmarks process for the old building, there were already grumblings about the loss of a cornice from the Pinevue structure midway through its life that could help nudge it toward disqualification as the nomination process continues. CHS examined the architectural qualities of the Pinevue building — also known as the Timken Roller Bearing building for a longtime tenant of the space — here in 2012.
(Image: CHS)
Public comment prior to the votes included nearby residents and a Bauhaus employee. The barista made an impassioned plea for the protection of the building as a cultural asset but the board ultimately ruled that the building did not adequately embody the characteristics of a specific architectural style nor qualify as a distinctive, identifiable element in its neighborhood at the base of Capitol Hill.
A preservation and development project is planned that will gut the buildings but preserve their structures and facade. The Pike Pine Urban Neighborhood Council said it did not support landmark nomination for either building saying it was satisfied with the conservation goals of the developers planning to rebuild the block.
The board will take up the nomination of the Pinevue Apartments building again on April 3rd.
Original Report: Today’s the day. The Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board meets Wednesday afternoon and included in its docket are two early 20th century Capitol Hill buildings slated for some major changes. The Melrose Building, home to Bauhaus, and the Pinevue Apartments, home to residents as well as businesses including Le Frock, Edie’s, Scout Apparel, Vutique, Wall of Sound and Spine & Crown Books, are up for consideration for the city’s landmark protection program. While it sounds a bit like a “witness protection program,” designation could be less dramatic, creating a rule set for protecting portions of the building even as development possibly proceeds. Our full report on the nominations is here.
Information on the 3:30 PM meeting — which includes time for public comment — is below. According to the agenda, the nomination discussions should start about 45 minutes into the proceedings around 4:15 PM. CHS will be there to cover Wednesday’s session as it is determined if the buildings go forward in the process.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING OF THE LANDMARKS PRESERVATION BOARD
to consider Landmark Nomination for the Following Properties:
Melrose Building 301-309 E. Pine Street
Pinevue Apartment Hotel 313-321 E. Pine Street
The Landmarks Preservation Board will consider these nominations at its meeting on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 3:30 p.m. in the Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 5th Avenue, 40th Floor, Room 4060.
The public is invited to attend the meeting and make comments. Written comments should be received by the Landmarks Preservation Board at the following address by February 19, 2013, by 5:00 p.m.: Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board, Dept. of Neighborhoods, P.O. Box 94649, Seattle WA 98124-4649.
More than 400 customers lost power this morning in the 7 Hills Park area of Capitol Hill near the 15th Ave Group Health campus when a bird landed on power line equipment. The loss of power was much more limited than last week’s 3,000+ customer outage caused by a semi-truck running into wires down off Denny. City light estimates power should be restored before noon. No word on the condition of the bird.
Walk down Broadway and something in one of the storefront windows is sure to catch your eye. But for window spaces without a pair of sparkly platform pumps, a cupcake or a pre-worn jacket for sale, Seattle Storefronts allows room for something eye-catching.
We’ve told you about Storefonts, a streetscape activation program of Shunpike, before. The program connects artists and entrepreneurs with empty retail spaces and fills them with everything from paper puppet skeletons to a blanket of 2,000 white coffee filters.
The program – which was founded in 2010 and has expanded from bleak storefronts in Pioneer Square and the International District to South Lake Union, Auburn, Rainer Beach and Capitol Hill – is now inviting artists and entrepreneurs to participate in this year’s designs.
Creators are invited to apply for the two program tracks (Installation and Creative Enterprise), but hurry, the deadline to apply for Storefronts Seattle is 11 p.m. on March 17.
Here’s more about the programs:
Installations offer artists a temporary storefront space to display any two- dimensional, three-dimensional or new media artwork. The program offers artist fees of up to $1,000 to support the creation of new work, or the installation of existing work. Works in this track are viewed from outside the closed storefront only (through the windows). If you are interested in applying for the
Creative Enterprise provides a space to experiment and test out new creative business ideas.
Creative Enterprise participants will have access to a space for three to six months, dependent on space availability and number of applicants. Creative Enterprise spaces are open to the public, and Creative Enterprise participants must hold appropriate City of Seattle and State of Washington licenses and permits, as well as a general liability insurance policy. Selected artists and/or artist teams will be required to hold set business hours.
Examples of possible Creative Enterprise uses:
Museums and galleries – Businesses that exhibit a creative/innovative emphasis –
Retail space for hand-made items (i.e. jewelry, fashion, art, etc.)
