Seattle’s Most Influential People 2018: The Preservationists
Kji Kelly of Historic Seattle and Cynthia Brothers of Vanishing Seattle are holding their ground
By Gwendolyn Elliott October 15, 2018
This article originally appeared in the November 2018 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in print in the November 2018 issue, as part of the Most Influential People of the Year feature. Click here to subscribe.
Cynthia Brothers and Kji Kelly approach their work from different angles—she’s the founder of the Instagram account Vanishing Seattle, which documents the steady creep of development in the city; he’s the executive director of Historic Seattle, which has stepped in to rescue the likes of the Central District’s Washington Hall, once slated for demolition. But they both recognize the value of the city’s historic places, the stories those structures tell and the communities that surround them at a moment when the city is rapidly transforming and more and more old buildings are threatened. When it was announced this year that renowned music venue The Showbox—where everyone from Duke Ellington to Macklemore has played—was on the chopping block, Brothers and Kelly partnered, galvanizing help from the likes of indie rock star Ben Gibbard and the Seattle City Council. They have filed a nomination for landmark status for the structure, which will, they hope, eventually preserve it, along with the music culture it created. Without such places, Brothers asks, “At what point does Seattle not become Seattle?”
Follow Us
The Positive Influence: Michelle Merriweather
A community builder inspired to lead a legacy organization.
Urban league of Metropolitan Seattle (ULMS) CEO Michelle Merriweather traces her commitment to civic work back to her high school history class in suburban Los Angeles. Over 30 years removed from Moorpark High School, she continues to refer to her history teacher by the formal Mr. Jones (first name Larry), in reverence to her mentor…
The Hip-Hop Kid: Yonny
The 25-year-old artist looking to lead the Northwest scene.
Yonny laughs when he admits he hadn’t been to he Crocodile, Neumos, or Barboza until after he’d already started performing. “I’ve lived here my whole life,” he says. “But I never really went to any shows. The Seattle scene was something I only really discovered in 2022.” That same year, he met producer Evan George,…
The Restaurateur: Lily Wu
The food-forward entrepreneur with a heart for community.
There has never been a grand, overarching plan guiding Lily Wu’s life. Indeed, from her childhood in a small village in northeast China to her standing as one of Seattle’s rising-star restaurant owners, everything has unfolded step by step, but whenever a chance came along, she never hesitated to take it. “I come from a…
The Record-Breaker: Skylar Diggins
The standout Storm player advocating for women in sports.
Skylar Diggins was a star before she ever touched down in Seattle. She’d won an Olympic gold medal in 2020, been named a WNBA All-Star six times, and pioneered a new era of marketing opportunities. She was the first women’s basketball player to have more than 1 million followers on Instagram and one of the…