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Smith Tower Sold, New LEDs on Columbia Center & More
The top Seattle news stories you should be reading today
First we thought Capitol Hill’s Kingfish Cafe was closing for good after announcing its goodbyes on its Facebook page. But it appears the restaurant’s owners are merely taking a break, cites King 5 News, before opening “a series of Kingfish Cafes” around the city. Everyone can calm down now! You have until January 25 to visit the eatery as it currently stands in all its glory.
Smith Tower, the iconic 489-foot Pioneer Square building that recently celebrated its 100th birthday, sold yesterday for $73.7M to real estate investor company Unico. That’s a big time increase from its 2012 purchase price of $36.8M. According to Curbed Seattle, the new owners plan to “modernize the elevator” and “upgrade facilities on the Observation Deck/Chinese Room at the top of the tower.” No word on what exactly that means, but I’m hoping it doesn’t translate to ripping out all of the original elevators (it’s one of the few buildings left on the West Coast to still employ elevator operators) or ridding the Chinese Room of its ornate detailing and hand-carved ceiling. But this is Seattle, where we obviously respect the past.
Mayor Ed Murray wants to add more tent cities to help Seattle’s homeless population. His proposal “would allow three tent cities on unused lots in non-residential zones,” Komo News reports. His proposal will go to the Seattle City Council.
As rents around the city continue to rise, Washington state lawmakers are stepping in. Should a rent hike exceed 10 percent, a new bill being introduced would require landlords to give tenants 90 days notice, rather than the existing requirement of 30 days. Read more about the proposed bill at Crosscut.com.
I thought something looked different when I passed the Columbia Center the other night: Expect a colorful new LED light show to illuminate the building’s three rooftops on floors 43, 61 and 76. MyNorthwest.com reports that it’s the first time ever that lights will adorn the tower. The official unveiling is tomorrow at 5 p.m. and, of course, the lights will glow blue and green in honor of the big ‘ NFC Championship game between our Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
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