rebirth

For some time I have been wondering about this vacant building, with its intriguing terra cotta tile imagery, including a version of that mysterious illuminated pyramid that also appears on our dollar bill. The mystery is now clear. The building, most recently known as the William Tell Apartments and owned by affordable housing provider Plymouth Housing Group, has been bought for redevelopment as a hotel or hostel. It was first built as the Lorraine Hotel, so reuse has brought it full circle. Plymouth Housing Group will build a new affordable housing building with the proceeds, on the site of a current surface parking lot. It is certainly a much higher and better use. Here are some shots of auto fluid leaks washing from that parking lot into the storm system at the start of our winter rainy system. Stormwater is the largest source of pollutants entering Puget Sound.

The Lorraine Hotel was emblematic of Belltown's former history in the film industry. Another historic aspect of Second Avenue in Belltown is these large cedars planted as street trees. The tree wells are in the middle of the sidewalk, with maples planted at the corner ends. Bradford pears are planted in tree wells on the street edge of the sidewalk, leaving the cedars in the center. It forms an allee, a double row of trees to walk through. Although this, in combination with sidewalk cafes, makes for a crowded sidewalk, walking beneath the cedars is a very aromatic experience, especially in the fall when the seeds fall from the cones, and the leafs are falling from the maples, and the sidewalks are not regularly swept in front of the buildings that are vacant. The fragrances are very sweet, like the scent of memory.