Last week I constructively proposed three alternate locations that might be better suited to a Chihuly museum than a couple acres of public land designated as open space, and in the comment thread HA readers offered several additional suggestions. But according to The Stranger’s Cienna Madrid, such reasonable conversation is apparently a nonstarter:
[Space Needle CEO Ron] Sevart insists that the Space Needle has not, and will not, consider another location for the project (although the Wright family could certainly afford it).
That’s because far from the “gift” to the city many Chihuly backers claim it to be, this project is first a foremost a for-profit venture, and there is undeniable synergy between the existing Space Needle businesses and what they are describing as “Chihuly at The Needle.”
As I’ve mentioned before, in addition to the overpriced/undercheffed restaurant at the top, the Wrights operate a bustling catering business out of the Skyline banquet facility, and the proposed Chihuly “museum” would instantly become one of the hottest catering halls in the city. But I’m sure the prospect of offering a “discounted” joint admission fee to both the Space Needle and the Chihuly museum would be lucrative as well. Rather than paying $17 for the Needle and $15 for Chihuly, $25 might get you in to see them both… and the Wrights up their average ticket by nearly 50% over what they’re getting now.
Sweet.
Meanwhile, Cienna and I aren’t the only “journalists” weighing in against the project, with Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat bucking his own editorial board, and calling out the proposed Chihuly “museum” for what it really is:
See the problem here, Seattle Center? Your Chihuly gallery is the anti-fireworks. It’s exclusive. The campaign for it is canned.
If we’re going to have a museum, can we at least broaden it beyond the overexposed Chihuly? And with a money-raising effort, make it free to enter, a la the Olympic Sculpture Park?
Or how about, instead, putting in a giant playground? Or even just trees and grass?
A giant playground! Or maybe even a giant, kick-ass one! What a great idea! Now that’s a proposal I could get behind.
Why? Because Seattle is a city desperately in need of more family-friendly amenities, something, apart from Danny, the Seattle Times doesn’t seem to recognize, but which, apparently, the New York Times does:
The Kids and Families Congress is to take place at the Seattle Center, the site of the Space Needle and the 1962 World’s Fair. The center itself has become a topic of debate, over the future of five acres of asphalt at the foot of the needle that for decades has been home to the Fun Forest, an aging amusement park.
The Fun Forest is set to close for good at summer’s end and the site’s private owners have proposed replacing it with a private museum featuring the work of Dale Chihuly, the Northwest glass artist. Critics say that sends a wrong signal about Seattle’s priorities. A private glass museum, some argue, would not necessarily be regarded as family friendly.
“It’s not just symbolic,” said Sally Bagshaw, who is chairwoman of the City Council parks committee. “It’s very much at the heart of what I’m talking about: how do we keep families here? We want to make Seattle a place where people come because it is the best place in the world for your kids.”
And ask any kid what they’d rather visit, a really kick-ass playground or a museum of glass, and I’m guessing most would choose the former.
“the site’s private owners”? Ok, don’t tell the trolls, but I am uninformed and confused by this statement, I know the Needle is privately owned, but aren’t the grounds, the site that is, public?
And let them buy KOMO, right across the street. Nice newish building, close by, already commercially zoned, they could put a tunnelled walkway from the Needle since they’re so trendy these days, and it wouldn’t interfere with traffic, which is unAmerican. KOMO could buy up KIRO’s place and KIRO could build in the Eastside in the new Sound Times complex. There, got that all wrapped up, how about some nice curry for lunch?
Why should my tax dollars go for building playgrounds for children that I don’t approve of?
In my day, the grown ups just planted cottonwood trees near the irrigation ditches and that was plenty of playground for us.
Hey, tell your lazy kid to get a job and start paying her fair share in taxes! Then she can build her OWN playground!!!
J/K…keep the pressure up. Using this particular spot for a Chihuly museum is a stupendously stupid idea. The more you keep banging the drum the better chance of getting a strong enough backlash to stop this nonsense.
You mean “the former” not “the latter”, Goldy. Don’t use phrases you’re unfamiliar with unless you know what they mean.
As the Chihuly glass museum is a purely commercial venture, and likely to be a highly profitable one, if it’s going to be sited on public property then the citizen-owners of that property should be paid rents reflecting its premium value.
Chris @4,
Yup, I meant former, and fixed it. Actually, I’d originally written the sentence with an ironic double negative, and must’ve tripped myself up on the editing.
@1 I’ve understood that the land that the Space Needle is on is private and has been since before the fair. The Needle is still the biggest tourist draw in the city. This is all about location. It’s a good deal for the Wrights, not so good for Seattle’s families. The canned support for this project is shit.
@8, the NYT piece seems to be referring to the 5 acre Fun Forest site, together with it’s “private owners”. Is the ‘paper of record’ correct about this?
And Goldie, kudos for starting the ball rolling on this. I thought it was cranky at first, but you saw through it right away and deserve credit for calling it out.
Ok, let’s agree that Chihuly is absolutely great (for an artist whose art is created by others). But he isn’t the only NW glass artist around. I might be more sympathetic to a museum that featured the works of NW glass artists #2 through #9.
But I have a strange feeling that because the powerful have spoken, this one may well be a done deal.
Is Seattle Center for tourists or for Seattleites?
Sure, it can be both. But in a city full of tourist-oriented locales, where are the places for local residents in/near downtown? That question, I think, underlies the impasse between the Wright/Blethen axis and the Goldy/Westneat viewpoint.
As for me, I hope Sally Bagshaw, Jean Godden, and the rest of City Council gravitate more toward Goldy’s take than that of the Wright family.
The Fun Forest site is not privately held. This Seattle Center land, and thus owned by us taxpayers. So I guess yeah, the NY Times was wrong on this.
We ALREADY have a giant glass museum just down in Tacoma. Do we need another? Just me personally, I don’t even care for this “glass art” by Chihuly. I don’t think it’s very attractive and he doesn’t even make it now a days, just stamps his name on stuff made by minions in a factory.
Seriously of ALL of the uses of this land for the next 50 years…is that the BEST we can do? As you say, you can put a museum ANYWHERE, so why not keep a “park” a park.
Howsit that Dale is not donating the Art to the city?
This sounds more like a five year installation than a “museum.” After this “show” we can get all those POS cars from SAM and hang then from the space needle for another 5 year installation of the Wright’s taste in art.
You have to admit, Chihuly keeps an eye out for opportunities for self promotion.
Goldy, will you bulldoze your house, then donate the land to the Seattle Parks department for a playground for children?
Don’t let up, Goldy.
Knowwhat is going on in Fisher Plaza right now?
Not a fucking thing.
@15 WTF are you talking about? What relevance does this have to Seattle Center, where Jeff Wright wants to bulldoze a playground for children and build a glass house on land he doesn’t own? Got your head up your ass again? Nothing new about that.
Lastly, to listen to Robert Nellams, and the rest of the steak eaters, you’d think they would finally admit that not having 15,000 people (more than half east siders) come to the site 41 nights a year in the winter has not completely “penciled out”.
And the T-birds.
You are not going to see two bus loads of Canadians show up on a rainy Tuesday night in January with Suns “Nash” jerseys on any more.
All of the enclosed space should be contracted out to the Public Facilities District formed by the passage of SB 6889 last week.
They don’t have a problem generating revenue.
Hey, maybe it is the site management that sucks.
@17, I was not going to say anything, but, ya, @15. WTF.
Goldy–
I still have to chuckle about your obsession with a little plot of land.
Seems like you do “worship” something after all…this little plot of land.
Is it Holy Ground Goldy??
You act like it is the birthplace of Buddha or Mohammed or something like that.
Definition of Worship–
Definitions of worship on the Web:
•idolize: love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol; “Many teenagers idolized the Beatles”
Goldy idolizes this little plot of land like teeny-boppers in the 60’s idolized the Beatles.
Hey Goldy…
Riddle me this–
What % of the land in Seattle is this little parcel??
Answer–
Seattle is 84 square miles.
640 acres/sq. mile
That’s 53,760 Acres
Seems like your protest is a wee bit excessive Goldy…when you put it in perspective.
Seattle desperately needs more revenue-producing opportunities to balance the Budget with all your other endless demands for Government Services.
Oh, I Forgot…just raise taxes over & over & over again…that’s Goldy’s solution to a successful kommunity!!
Too Damn Funny!
You do a lot of acid, Cyn? Back in the hippie days?
Has anyone done the math on what it would take to simply replace two acres in the downtown area? We already have way too few public open spaces accessible to downtown and Uptown (lower Queen Anne). Based on my own partial view west side of Queen Anne lot assessed at $100 per square foot, I did a multiplier (conservative at that) of five times for a high demand area, and came up with $43 million!
With the City’s deficit of $50 million, I don’t think it’s conceivable that the City could come up with comparable space at twice that figure.
The City should not be making a decision that will be regretted for decades based on our current financial situation.
bluestater–
I hate to be the bearer of reality..
but if you think the current finanical situation is bad when Oba-Mao is throwing around BORROWED money like a fool and Gregoire is playing Budget shell-games again like telling us they cut $840 Million while the Budget proposals add $2.5 BILLION to spending…huh?…………….
Once the reality of all the unfunded Government Pensions at all levels collides with $101 TRILLION of underfunded Social Security and Medicare…excuse me, but making a l’il park in the Seattle Center will be quite off the radar.
I think Seattle should be looking 100% at revenue-producing ventures for that valuable property…not another playground for Urbanite Atheist Progressive’s little snotnosers.
Grow up and Wise up everybody.
Why not put a branch zoo there? We could have Puddy, and Cynical, and Troll. We could let kids buy purina chow pellets to feed the pigs!
Of course such a zoo would need really good cages!