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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Architecture The Good Architecture of Seattle

Posted by Charles Mudede on Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 8:40 AM

Beacon Hill has three great buildings: the extension of Cleveland High School designed by Mahlum Architects (it rightly won AIA's 2008 Honor Awards for Washington Architecture), the 16-story bulk of Art Deco called Pacific Medical Center, and this magnificence...

The VA Hospital is so huge that it floats. The best place to see it is two blocks south of Fou Lee Market, on Beacon Hill Avenue (I will have more to say about this avenue in the near future). The building was made for just that distance.

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Comments (10) RSS

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It does look like a cruise ship in this photo.

Posted by Charles' Cheerleader on March 6, 2013 at 8:51 AM

Take a photography class, Charles.

Posted by Matt from Denver on March 6, 2013 at 8:53 AM

If you tried to build something like the Pacific Medical Center today the NIMBYs would be all over you.

Posted by amsellie on March 6, 2013 at 9:10 AM

You know what's a good example of architecture in Seattle? The Seattle Tower (formerly the Northern Life Tower). It's a shame that it's surrounded and lost in the skyline now.

Posted by Matt from Denver on March 6, 2013 at 9:13 AM

My name is Charles Mudede, and I have a megaphone and some obvious thoughts about architect akin to a 1st year aspiring architecture student.

Next up: Beacon Hill Fire Station #13 and the Mission Revival style entitled: "Why I Think It's Cool."

Posted by charles do something you have an original thought about. on March 6, 2013 at 9:34 AM

I beg to differ. The best buildings on Beacon Hill are the nondescript shops along Beacon Avenue just south of the intersection with 15th. these are the buildings that fulfil an urban function: shops, services, small family restaurants. If only there were more of them; if only the empty parking lots on the other corners were filled with more of them. Bowtie intersections are PERFECT locations for active urban life, because of the energy of narrow triangular buildings; sadlly, in Seattle, they're always paved over, or have a gas station on them.

The strip of Beacon just north of the golf course -- Kusina Filipina, El Quetzal, etc. -- just about meets the criteria, but it's too small, and only on one side of the street. South of the park, around Columbian Way, is even nicer, but has the same problem. Cursed with parking lots, too.

Posted by Fnarf

on March 6, 2013 at 9:49 AM

@6 I love those shops, too. It has the feeling of neighborhood that's been destroyed in so many areas. It also looks ripe for a real estate boom.

Posted by Pope Peabrain on March 6, 2013 at 10:52 AM

Fnarf, I don't know if I'd call those the best buildings on the hill or not -- but you are spot on with everything else you said. They are important buildings for the life and health of the Hill.

The VA, on the other hand, is a black hole. It's useful to some folks, of course, but most of us cannot use it and it doesn't really add anything to the livability of the neighborhood.

Posted by litlnemo

on March 6, 2013 at 3:08 PM

i'm glad this series is back. for almost a week i forgot what a fucking idiot chuckles is.

terrible building. terrible picture. terrible trolling. (ok maybe fun trolling.)

but still, fuck off chuckles!

Posted by yougotchucktrolled on March 6, 2013 at 3:26 PM

Build the VA a shiny new facility somewhere else, turn the current VA land land over to the parks department, and restore the Beacon Avenue divided boulevard between Spokane Street and Columbian Way.

Posted by Catalina Vel-DuRay