Comments

1
Eh, I'll take the condos. NEXT!
2

Punks, come to Kent.

Home of the Nevermind Tavern.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/nevermind-tavern…

Seattle has abandoned ye.
3
You Stranger writers have a lot more in common with "yuppies" than punks, or any other demographic. Not that you like to admit it, phonies.

The punks don't really want what they say they want anyway; it's just that they have a duty to make the protest gesture. Being marginalized is the essence of punk, and what could be more marginalizing than having your hangout bulldozed, and being forced to find space in (oi!) Georgetown?

Preservationism, on the other hand? Preservationism is for retired ladies at tea parties and Ballardite homeowners. Preservationism is not punk.

AND it's not metal, before you even ask. I suppose you could say preservationism is steam punk, but steam punk is not punk.
4
poor NK - it sucks to get up there & take the heat for the developer's program & pro-forma. i'd be surprised if design review lets them get away with that.

note to developer: the funhouse & mcdonalds are "retail". they're alive. there's a nexus of housing being developed in that long-forgotten area - all of it dense, all of it filled with people who must consume solids & liquids.
6
That guy in the first pic...I feel bad for his belt :
7
The pic of the superannuated punks is pretty damn great, Kelly O. I didn't realize Starbucks was founded in Seattle because of our entertainment industry. I still don't realize it, in fact.
8
Just think of the Juggalos!
9
I fucking love the Funhouse. Next to the Comet it's probably the best venue of its kind in Seattle. Big enough to party, small enough to be accessible to unknown local bands. And the fenced-in backyard is one-of-a-kind in Seattle... reminds me a bit of Austin.

That said, it's a single-story building and we need to replace these with more density. But it's gotta be mixed-use, neighborhood-building density, density that can be repurposed for condos and apartments and a variety of retail... not just another elite glass tower that sits empty half the year.
10
@8 - I've never seen a Juggalo at the Funhouse, in spite of the clown mascot.
11
Condos is a bankers term for apartments, and apartments ought to be called compartments because they are not apart of anything. Own a condo? I'd like to see you build from it, expand it somehow? At least the Funhouse builds community and music relationships therefore expanding the music and arts scene in a positive way.
12
I'm sorry these guys are probably going to lose the Funhouse. (I still boo-hoo the loss of the Backstage and OK Hotel.)But I think it's awesome that they went out and showed their support. Most people stay home and complain and they did not. I hope they know their efforts here will pay off in some way or another, even if it's not how they initially intended.
13
I love, love, love the fifty-year-old punkers! Keepin' the dream alive! Sadly, Kent will probably have to take them off our hands.
14
Sucks to lose the fun house, but it's not like Seattle is short on rock venues.
15
to be fair, the reason why the design review members weren't interested in hearing emotional arguments against the development, is because the meeting was JUST a design planning meeting. The board members did say that there would be another meeting where we could vocalize our opinions on why the funhouse should stay. The board members were also very fair in letting the "non suits" voice their opinions about the design. And I believe they even did comment on the girl's comment about the ducks. The board members were also concerned about the canyon effect that another funhouse supporter brought up. Also, only one of the designs that the architects/developers/"suits" proposed had the 3 views available.
16
Having every single inch of your town scrubbed and made shrink-wrapped and "safe" for CONSUMERISM is sad, just sad. You need a patch of overgrown weeds with broken bottles to balance things out.

An ultra-sanitized environment is no fun.
17
to be fair, the reason why the design review members weren't interested in hearing emotional arguments against the development, is because the meeting was JUST a design planning meeting. The board members did say that there would be another meeting where we could vocalize our opinions on why the funhouse should stay. The board members were also very fair in letting the "non suits" voice their opinions about the design. And I believe they even did comment on the girl's comment about the ducks. The board members were also concerned about the canyon effect that another funhouse supporter brought up. Also, only one of the designs that the architects/developers/"suits" proposed had the 3 views available.
18
This site may be near South Lake Union, but it's a complete pain in the ass to get from here to there. Why the fuck can't the city (and maybe Amazon/Microsoft/Paul Allen) build a decent bike/pedestrian route from SLU to Seattle Center?
19
Yeah. I was gonna say them punks are a might long in the tooth.

Lipitor and Metamucil is SO punk!

Though there is something to be said for finding a look and sticking with it. But it's best to pick a look more mature than your calendar year, not younger. IE, Edith Head looked forty years old for fifty years.
20
I never went to a show at the Funhouse, but it was fun to go in there when I was meeting very non-punk friends near the space needle and just casually text them to come there. They text from outside "you mean the scary clown bar?? Why did you go in there?!" Heheheh
21
@16, loads and loads of weed-and-bottle-choked patches in Seattle. Just maybe not in the heart of the only booming district. Times change. Go get your decrepitude elsewhere.
22
@x76 That place is definitely Central District, if anywhere, and I like it tho you can see the gentrification peeking thru in certain spots because NOTHING can stop it.

FUCK THIS PLAN. The Funhouse, just like any other venue in town, deserves its place in the city just as much as some BULLSHIT condo/mixed-use(whatever the fuck that entails?[I don't give a fuck]). I don't understand how these people can flat out take it for granted that this 'obstacle' of a music venue will get demolished and their shitty pre-fab building will go in its place. Fuck these arrogant pricks. While it was just a design meeting, this bullshit plan deserves resistance at every phase.

You cannot truly say we either need or it wouldn't hurt to have more of this pre-fab development without sounding completely full of shit. It's an eyesore and only benefits a small number of [white male] people.
23
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why it's important to show up at planning meetings. That's where zoning decisions get made, and that's why it's an uphill battle to fight this stuff once it's in the hopper. The time to fight for the Funhouse was years ago, when the planning department sent you a notice of a planning meeting that you didn't attend, so you could watch back-to-back episodes of Jersey Shore that night.
24
Cato, your gross. i hope you lose your job and fail at life.
25
the site will cost them more money to build than they will actually make, and the city will have to spend & lose money turning that area into zone parking which will create not enough parking for tourists...because some poor-design has a building that has insufficient parking for all its tenants.
there is a pay lot and an abandoned building right across the street...why not use that? instead of tearing down buildings that are functioning right now.

and that area isnt good as retail? The building that funhouse is in right now is proof that, that statement is false because said building has always been a tavern since the 40s....it's been home to long running establishments, and builds great revenue for the city.
Condos won't build as much revenue, and won't function a purpose......

There will be a canyon effect, and besides who wants to buy condos that 1 or more stories will be looking at nothing but the monorail?....well that is until the hotel that is proposed for across 5th ave is erected then they wont be looking at the space needle and monorail anymore...they'll be looking at another building and another poor investment......

The building is better off as the funhouse....it caters to not only the locals but to the tourists as well.

And to the person who commented "there's other rock venues in seattle"...while that maybe true...not to bash them because i do go to quite a few of them... None of them cater to the little local or little touring bands quite like the funhouse does.....the funhouse gives EVERYONE a chance.....other clubs do not they cater more to what's popular be it bigger local names, or touring big names. The funhouse accepts everyone for who they are....which makes it the best punk rock venue around. Punk is about acceptance, while some people don't think it's punk rock to preserve something, I bet you I could find 1000+ punks that could prove you wrong, punk is survival. we survive in the face of adversity, to continue to fight for our beliefs, our music, and our surroundings. If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.
26
the site will cost them more money to build than they will actually make, and the city will have to spend & lose money turning that area into zone parking which will create not enough parking for tourists...because some poor-design has a building that has insufficient parking for all its tenants.
there is a pay lot and an abandoned building right across the street...why not use that? instead of tearing down buildings that are functioning right now.

and that area isnt good as retail? The building that funhouse is in right now is proof that, that statement is false because said building has always been a tavern since the 40s....it's been home to long running establishments, and builds great revenue for the city.
Condos won't build as much revenue, and won't function a purpose......

There will be a canyon effect, and besides who wants to buy condos that 1 or more stories will be looking at nothing but the monorail?....well that is until the hotel that is proposed for across 5th ave is erected then they wont be looking at the space needle and monorail anymore...they'll be looking at another building and another poor investment......

The building is better off as the funhouse....it caters to not only the locals but to the tourists as well.

And to the person who commented "there's other rock venues in seattle"...while that maybe true...not to bash them because i do go to quite a few of them... None of them cater to the little local or little touring bands quite like the funhouse does.....the funhouse gives EVERYONE a chance.....other clubs do not they cater more to what's popular be it bigger local names, or touring big names. The funhouse accepts everyone for who they are....which makes it the best punk rock venue around. Punk is about acceptance, while some people don't think it's punk rock to preserve something, I bet you I could find 1000+ punks that could prove you wrong, punk is survival. we survive in the face of adversity, to continue to fight for our beliefs, our music, and our surroundings. If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.
27
From Jesse Bernstein to Fnaff

The continued devolution of the Seattle cultural scene...

28
Are you all insane? Why would ANYONE, EVER willingly go to Kent?
29
Retail wouldn't survive there. There are a lot of empty storefronts within a block's radius.
30
I hope they make it out of combustable materials, That way I can burn it down and smash the Chihuli museum all in one swoop. I can't believe all the square douchebags on here in favor of sterilization and gentrification. Why don't all you amazon working douchebags move back to Dallas where you can safely listen to your stupid shit-kicker music and vote for republicans.
31
No outcry for the slated demolition of the Skybox Sports Lounge? Didn't think so.
32
@14 Ever tried starting a band in Seattle from scratch and getting gigs around town? I can only assume you have not, because that's an ignorant comment.

Yeah, we have an abundance of venues that host bigger-name local/regional/national acts. It's great, but all those bands had to start somewhere. If you're just starting out, new to the scene, your options are much more limited. They're getting rid of a venue that has provided opportunities for decent gigs to countless local bands. Getting rid of the Funhouse, like getting rid of any other venue of its type, is a blow to the city's musical culture for precisely that reason. I sincerely hope they can find another location.
33
@2 nothing on earth is more white male than punk rock. Look at these guys (one girl in the background).
34
What the fuck?!? Did Brandon Nicholson swallow NK architect's 1/8" scale model for this project?
35

#28

Kent is what Seattle used to be.

Before Seattle became Faux Seattle.
36
1) the american punk scene started in the suburbs, not the inner city. so kent sorta makes sense. but only sorta. cuz it doesn't matter where it started, it matters where it's alive now. which brings us to...
2) punk used to be a mega DIY kids scene, and not dependent on a 21+ venue to support it. there are a lot of DIY house "venues" struggling to create the scene they want and being largely ignored or even mocked by so-called punks.
3) there is absolutely nothing in keeping with ANY punk ethic in that neighborhood! it's total corporate america in action, in every direction you look. so who gives a fuck what happens there?!?? move the goddamn venue and "scene" to a more appropriate area, and stop trying to fight an absolutely senseless and futile battle.
37
1) the american punk scene started in the suburbs, not the inner city. so kent sorta makes sense. but only sorta. cuz it doesn't matter where it started, it matters where it's alive now. which brings us to...
2) punk used to be a mega DIY kids scene, and not dependent on a 21+ venue to support it. there are a lot of DIY house "venues" struggling to create the scene they want and being largely ignored or even mocked by so-called punks.
3) there is absolutely nothing in keeping with ANY punk ethic in that neighborhood! it's total corporate america in action, in every direction you look. so who gives a fuck what happens there?!?? move the goddamn venue and "scene" to a more appropriate area, and stop trying to fight an absolutely senseless and futile battle.
38
Points one and two are some poorly written revisionism.
39
I run an underground DIY space that is all inclusive and all ages outside of downtown. I was at this meeting and will do anything I can to help save the funhouse. It’s about sticking by the people in our (music/punk) community. If I, or anyone else who is involved in the music scene just stand by and let these suits with bankrolls destroy our creative spaces, then we have allowed them to bulldoze over everything that we love about this city. Before you know it we will become a cookie cutter city that has nothing of interest to offer the people who live here, and certainly won’t attract visitors. This is part of a larger issue as well. Why do we need so many of these orange and rust condos sweeping through downtown half empty? Promoting "professional single family condos" for the downtown area? Is it this city’s goal to gentrify the whole of downtown? The larger question is what I think plagues our thoughts. This issue is about the funhouse but I think it opens the door to some very big issues that need to be addressed in this city.
40
i'm confused. does the funhouse own the property? if they don't, then they don't have a say. that's america, the land where property rights are the bestest rights.
41
"Sucks to lose the fun house, but it's not like Seattle is short on rock venues."

Seattle is short of good rock venues. As well as rock venues the size of Funhouse where a new band can play their first gig, an established band can play a fun packed show, and lots of touring bands that could sell out larger venues choose to play because of the atmosphere and vibe. Funhouse is a pretty damn unique venue for Seattle and one that's been here for a long time and is important to hundreds if not thousands of local music fans. And it's the last small-to-mid-sized music venue downtown (the new Croc has no soul, it's like a fake-o Vegas version of a Seattle rock club). If it goes, it seems most of Seattle's vibrant underground music scene will have moved to venues North or South of downtown and give music fans one more reason to go to Ballard, the U-District or Georgetown for dinner, drinks and live music instead.

I couldn't imagine living in an apartment or condo sandwiched between the Monorail, McDonald's, the Seattle Center, a teenage dance club and the Ride the Duck megaphone yelling, along with the buses and traffic of 5th Ave. That's a lot of city noise invading your home. But I suppose some condo buyers might like broken glass, kickin' ass, and delight in the roving groups of drunken teenagers in that neighborhood.
42
Maybe The Funhouse could move to Tubs in the U-District.
43

When I was living in New Jersey 1978-1982, the punk scene was in clubs near Camden and New Brunswick. Yeah, sometimes it would be going to the Palladium to see the Buzzcocks or big names, but day to day...action was suburban.
44
Yes because we all know punk started in those well-known suburbs named Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, and New York City. Shut your pie-hole you swine unless we are talking about topics you actually know about like being smelly, one-room apartments, and rape.

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