Monthly Archives: January 2014

Linda was not the first — Meet the Klineburger Brothers and Capitol Hill’s taxidermy past

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A Klineburger brother hunting Marco Polo sheep in Afghanistan (Photo: The Sammamish Heritage Society)

A Klineburger brother hunting Marco Polo sheep in Afghanistan (Photo: The Sammamish Heritage Society)

Taxidermy has become a staple wall ornament of dimly lit Capitol Hill taverns. Whether bar owners know it or not, stuffing and mounting animal carcasses actually has a rich history in the neighborhood.

Seattle’s Klineburger brothers operated one of the largest custom taxidermists in the country from their Capitol Hill shop inside 12th Ave’s Ballou Wright building, today home to Juicebox and the Creature agency.

The business, first called Jonas Brothers taxidermists, was located at 1517 12th Avenue, currently owned by Hunter’s Capital.

The brothers Jonas were Hungarian immigrants that opened taxidermist shops in New York, Colorado, and in Capitol Hill. The New York shop is still open to this day. Gene, Bert, and Chris Klineburger bought the business from the Jonas family in 1954. Continue reading →

Man found outside 22nd/Madison Safeway died of ‘natural causes’

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Before Christmas, CHS reported on an incident involving an apparently homeless man found dead outside the E Madison Safeway on the morning of Thursday, December 19th.

Unusually cold Seattle weather and the circumstances of the man found dead in his wheelchair concerned many readers who had written or called us to find out more about the medic and police response that morning.

According to the King County Medical Examiner, Eric R. Leigh died on the 19th of heart disease. He was 56. CHS doesn’t know much more about the man but we wanted to update the details given the concern the initial report generated.

On the List | Year-round farmers market, jazz & wine, sing-along, A Touch of Sin, sex trivia

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Are you done with holidays? Us too. So wtf is up with Valentine crap on the shelves already? Here are some weekend highlights to get your mind off the candy.

barcaEvery Thursday evening starting at 9pm, Barça hosts terrific live jazz performances. Everything from Charlie Parker to Charles Mingus, along with several original compositions, are performed for your aural pleasure. Pre-funk with wine tasting at Vino Verite (5 – 8pm) another great, free every-Thursday Hill event.

Sing, sing a song along with the crowd at The Best Ever Music Video Sing Along on Thursday at Central Cinema, 8pm. The selections include Madonna, Journey, Bonnie Tyler, Queen, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Spice Girls, Rick Springfield..all the way up to the best of the past year.

nwffNorthwest Film Forum reopens Friday after their holiday break with a week-long screening of A Touch of Sin (2013). A winner of the Best Screenplay prize at Cannes, this contemporary film is a “startling — and violent — modern wuxia tale of four outcasts on the margins of a rapidly changing China who channel their underclass rage into a bloody and murderous rampage.”

(Fore)Play Sex Trivia with your Saturday night date and friends at 7pm at Babeland. Bring your team of 2 – 6 players and attempt to correctly answer questions on positions, activities, and toys. Free.

playwrightsSeattle Playwrights’ Collective performs a staged reading of Two Angels, a play by D Richard Tucker. The story follows Dayla, who joins a Liberation movement in order to fight the oppressors, but quickly becomes drawn into the covert operations of the revolutionaries. Elliott Bay Book Company on Sunday at 6p.

Meanwhile, don’t forget the Broadway Farmers Market is now year-round.

Are you having an event on Capitol Hill? Add it to the CHS Calendar.

Continue reading →

Closed on 15th Ave E: 22 Doors

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22 Doors by aaronbrethorst
22 Doors, a photo by aaronbrethorst on Flickr.

We’ve written its obituary before — here’s another. 22 Doors was shuttered after one last New Year’s Eve party:

If you haven’t heard already tonight is the last night we will be open, it’s bittersweet and we love all of you that have spent time with is. Please come say goodbye to us and 2013 tonight. We will have a champagne toast at midnight, half priced wine and $4 wells all night! Thanks for the memories!

22 Doors by aaronbrethorst
22 Doors, a photo by aaronbrethorst on Flickr.

Built in 2005 with 22 mahogany doors from the old Camlin Hotel, Mike Brown and Mark Edmison moved sold their food-focused lounge in 2008 as Seattle food and drink veterans Josephine and Ricky Tong took over, introducing a remodeled space and, eventually, a simplified name. While experiments like lunch service came and went and the venue swung more toward bar from its foodie roots, the covered patio area remained one of the nicer places on Capitol Hill to enjoy an outdoorsish drink. In July 2012, CHS reported the bar would be closing after staff told patrons the end was nigh. Ownership said the closure would only be temporary for yet another remodel. 22 eventually reopened. At some point, it went back to being 22 Doors.

There are no indications yet about what is next for the 22 Doors space sandwiched next to newbies Rione XIII and The Wandering Goose and the old-timer Tim’s Barbershop. We’ll update this post if we hear back from the Tongs on the closure.

The closure adds to the ongoing ripples of change underway for businesses on 15th Ave E. CHS reported on the closure of the nearby Bagel Deli earlier this week after more than 30 years on the street.

UPDATE: We haven’t heard back from the Tongs yet but we can report that the business was apparently having financial difficulties for years. Here’s the long roster of warrants for unpaid state taxes likely dogging ownership:Screen Shot 2014-01-02 at 10.15.35 AM

Thanks to Aaron for the pictures!

CHS 2014 New Year’s Day pictures, what’s open, resolutions, etc. thread

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Given our coverage so far to start 2014 — a deadly and violent night in the Seattle, a fire sprinkler-soaked party at Neighbours — we suppose it is only fitting that our images of this Capitol Hill New Year’s Eve celebration are fog-shrouded and subdued. Don’t let it get you down. Even in the fog, there are sparklers. Happy New Year. Below, you’ll find more pictures from the night and a running update of what’s open and going on around the Hill on this first day of 2014. Thanks for reading and lots of love in 2014!

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Continue reading →

911 | Deadly crash on Lakeview Blvd E, New Year’s shootings across city

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Here are preliminary reports on a violent and deadly start to 2014 including a fatal car crash on the northwest side of Capitol Hill and multiple shooting incidents across the city. See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt (206) 399-5959. You can view recent CHS Crime coverage here.

  • Deadly crash: The driver and his male passenger were killed and a female passenger was in critical condition after a rollover crash on Lakeview Blvd E near the Harvard Ave steps early Wednesday morning. Seattle Fire units filled the road near the turn where Lakeview passes under I-5 as the female in her 20s who had been sitting in the vehicle’s back seat was rushed to the hospital. Lakeview remained closed for hours during the investigation of the single-car crash. The two males who died have not yet been identified. The area near the crash including the nearby I-5 exit remained closed into Wednesday’s daylight hours. UPDATE: Here is SPD’s update on the crash.

    Detectives are investigating a single vehicle collision that left two people dead.  On 1/1/14, just shortly before 3:00 a.m., a Ford Mustang Convertible was travelling northbound on Lakeview Ave E. As the vehicle entered the 1800 block, the driver for unknown reason, lost control and the vehicle left the roadway.

    The vehicle went sideways and struck a fire [hydrant], which caused it to rollover onto its roof. .

    Seattle Fire Dept. responded to treat the 3 occupants of the vehicle; the driver and a passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. Another passenger suffered minor injuries and was transported to Harborview Medical Center.

    Traffic Collision Investigators responded and processed the scene. The investigation continues.

  • Seattle New Year’s shootings: First Hill’s Harborview was the center of activity on a bloody New Year’s eve as victims in multiple shooting incidents were rushed to the facility. One victim with a gunshot wound was dropped off at the hospital around 2:30 AM following a shooting incident near 26th and Yesler. Later in the morning, police say as many as five people were shot in an incident near a South Seattle motorcycle club around 5:30 AM. UPDATE: Only one of the victims in the motorcycle club incident was shot. Three others were seriously assaulted. Only minutes earlier, police and medics were busy with at least one victim in a shooting incident on Airport Way South. Earlier in the night around 2:30 AM, police were investigating yet another shooting near 12th and Main. There were no known victims in that incident in which a man pulled a gun out of his vehicle and opened fire on another car. Before midnight, a West Seattle shooting at a New Year’s party sent two to the hospital including a male with multiple gunshot wounds.
  • Driver hits tree at Broadway/Jeff: A driver crashed into a tree near Broadway and Jefferson in a single-car incident just before 2 AM. According to Seattle Fire, the 22-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in stable condition after the single-car crash.
  • Demonstration arrests: At least two protesters were taken into custody after police say a crowd of demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at officers Tuesday night. A planned “New Year’s Eve Noise Demonstration” drew about 50 protesters to King County Juvenile Detention Center at 12th and Alder.

New Year’s fire incident at Neighbours investigated — UPDATE: ARSON

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The Seattle Fire Department’s marshal was called to Broadway’s Neighbours just minutes after the legendary gay night spot’s midnight 2014 celebration to investigate a suspected arson fire and the triggering of the club’s automatic fire sprinkler system. SFD’s Ladder 10 was dispatched to the dance club at 1509 Broadway at 12:16 AM. The arriving firefighters found the building’s sprinkler system activated and the club’s 750 or so partygoers were cleared outside.

UPDATE: CHS has learned that the fire was set on an internal staircase while the club was “packed with patrons.” We’re told one patron grabbed an extinguisher and knocked down the fire before it could spread and then the fire sprinkler system extinguished the rest of the flames. There were no injuries.

Arson Bomb Squad detectives. As of early Wednesday morning, police did not have a suspect.

Seattle Fire puts the damage estimate at $6,000.

Seattle Police were called to the scene to assist in crowd control to keep patrons and staff from re-entering the building during the investigation.

UPDATE: SPD has released a preliminary report that calls the incident an “arson fire” and documents that an unknown perpetrator is believed to have poured gasoline on a carpeted stairway leading to the club’s second level.

Detectives Investigating Arson Fire at Capitol Hill Bar

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page1image41872page1image42272Suspect being sought in arson bar fire. On 1/1/2014, just shortly after midnight, an unknown suspect poured gasoline on a carpeted stairway leading to the second level of a bar and ignited it.

The bar in the 1500 block of Broadway was occupied by over 750 patrons celebrating New Years Eve at the time. The fire was quickly discovered before it could spread beyond the stairway and was extinguished with a fire extinguisher.

Someone pulled the fire alarm and caused the fire sprinkler system to activate. An orderly evacuation was accomplished and no one was injured.

Arson Bomb Detectives (ABS) responded after being notified by SFD Fire Investigators.

No suspect information available. The investigation continues.

In 2012, CHS reported on seismic and fire system upgrades the City of Seattle said were required for Neighbours to operate as a multi-level nightclub. Earlier in December 2011, the Seattle Fire Marshal had threatened to shut the club down just days before its planned New Year’s Eve bash.

This year’s New Year’s party included “Entertainment, Hats and favors, Champagne and Dancing til the wee hours of New Years Day” and promised to “bring in the New Year the way only Capitol Hill knows how to do it!!”

Performer Aleksa Manila posted this defiant note about the 2014 NYE incident:

THANK YOU #SEATTLE for an amazing #nye2013countdown at #neighboursnightclub unfortunately, someone tried to burn the club down after midnight. whoever you are – i hope you come forward, or if anyone knows any information, please call 911. this club has been the #1 gay nightclub in the northwest for over 30 years. nothing’s gonna stop us from celebrating diversity & providing a safe space for everyone.

The club will remain shuttered until water and fire damage can be repaired though we’re hearing that could happen relatively quickly.

UPDATE: Shaun Knittel, Capitol Hill resident and associate editor at Seattle Gay News, was at Neighbours and caught the aftermath of the incident on video he provided to KOMO. The images include a gasoline can reportedly discovered near the scene of the fire inside the club. Knittel also continues to be active with Social Outreach Seattle, a group he helped form to combat street and hate crimes.

UPDATE — 1/2/14 — 9 AM: Neighbours has released a statement on the incident and says due to “the possibility of jeopardizing the investigation,” management must wait before providing more information on what happened. The statement credits patrons Christopher Bostick and Mike Casey and Neighbours bartender Lucas Shipley for acting quickly to locate an extinguisher behind the bar and extinguish the flames. The statement also credits staff for pulling the fire alarm “ensuring the sprinkler system was activated” and helping patrons evacuate the building.

The statement posted Wednesday night does not say when Neighbours will reopen but a person who said he was acting as spokesperson for the club told CHS there are hopes to be back open by Thursday night.

Last night, at approximately fifteen minutes after ringing in the new year, someone or a group of people committed arson by dousing the steps nearest the Broadway Street entrance of Neighbours with gasoline and setting them on fire. The assailant(s) left behind a plastic 1 liter gas container at the top of the stairs. What could have been a catastrophic loss of property and lives was diverted by the quick thinking and professional actions of the Neighbours staff. We are happy to report that the fire did not harm, or even injure anyone, because friends and U.S. service members Christopher Bostick and Mike Casey and Neighbours Seattle bartender Lucas Shipley located and grabbed a fire extinguisher and put the fire out in under 30 seconds. The bar staff pulled the fire alarm immediately after they saw smoke, ensuring the sprinkler system was activated and letting everyone know that they had to vacate the premises. Within two minutes, everyone had exited the building and nobody was hurt. Fire rescue and SPD officials arrived on scene and due to an ongoing investigation into what happened, we cannot, at this time, offer any further comment on the matter except that we are thankful for the fact that no one was hurt, honored that so many of you have reached out with words of support since the incident, and happy for your continued patronage. More information will be made available when we are able to put out the information without the possibility of jeopardizing the investigation.

UPDATE: Police are looking for tips: “If you saw anything suspicious in or around the bar on New Year’s Eve, please call the SPD Arson/Bomb Squad tip line at (206) 684-8980″