King Street Station renovated

King Street Station modeled after Campanile di San Marco in Venice, Italy

If you are walking in Pioneer Square in the area of the stadiums, go to the King Street Station, a National Registered Historic Place that is worth a small visit.
Seattle’s main Amtrak station was built in the beginning of the twentieth century. The red brick clock tower was modeled after Campanile di San Marco in Venice, Italy.

The building renovation finished last year. You can now see the nice hand-carved coffered ceiling, a balcony and a second level of arches. The lobby is a clear and nice room where you can sit for a while. It may be quiet and empty, or busy and noisy depending of course on the train schedule.

As they were hidden by a lower ceiling, I was not able to see all these details 8 years ago when I arrived from Europe with my family on the Empire Builder train from Chicago.

King Street Station, a National Registered Historic Place

Nice hand-carved coffered ceiling

King Street Station, a National Registered Historic Place

 

The “UP” House

In 2006, Edith Macefield turned down a million dollar offer to sell her house to developers who wanted to build a mall in this developing Ballard neighborhood. She had already been living there for 50 years.
Her house was then surrounded by 3 walls and stood between a Trader Joes and a LA Fitness Gym.
When I learned this story from Seattle Sketcher exhibit, I immediately thought of the aging widower in the Pixar movie UP who did not want to leave his house. I called it the UP house.
Mrs Macefield died in 2008 at the age of 86 but her house has not been incorporated into the Mall. With respect to its history, the house had not been demolished. One floor was supposed to be added and a public space below called Credo Square would be designed for community events. But it seems that new changes are on their way

UPDATE 2/08/2015: The house is now on sale and the foreclosure auction will be held in March 2015. It may be the end of the story, the house could be completely demolished. Sad…

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Leave a book, take a book

Have you ever noticed little wood boxes full of books in front of houses?
It can be a simple box with a glass, a transformed barrel, or a miniature of the owner’s own house. Some of them give you some instructions, especially when they are part of the Seattle Little Free Libraries network. But the idea is simple: leave a book, take a book.I am thinking of setting one up in front of my house.
Happy reading!