Pioneer Square’s boarded buildings have suffered another rash of graffiti, The Delmar and Grand Central the most obvious and depressing. Everyone on the ground has just about had it. They’re all back open, trying to put the lock-downs behind them while major historic landmarks remained boarded, empty and ugly. Even the flower planters, so lovingly cared for by Keith at Bon Voyage aren’t safe. The 130 year old bricks in the alley are fair game so I don’t know why the planter bothers me so much. Perhaps it’s because I recognize the tag and know that they walk free,
The mural I had just taken pictures the week before got totally defaced.
The super cool SubspaceArtist Spock mural that gave everyone a smile….
Also defaced…
It just really looks like crap.
So that got me all riled up to the point of emailing the CEO of Unico Properties and Andrew Cox, the guy quoted in that Pioneer Post article about the block not needing a big overhaul to make the $26.6 Million purchase work. They didn’t get back to me but someone else did and it sounded like good news.
The respondent, who I won’t name because they aren’t a public figure, assured me that they too feel the urgency in re-activating the space and they are looking into a partial opening before All-Star week.
Here’s an excerpt
In recent weeks, ownership has been and is currently evaluating and studying ways to temporarily reactivate areas within the Grand Central Block as we share a common vision and passion for Pioneer Square. We are evaluating and studying the removal of some, most, if not all of the exterior boarded windows and the possibility of strategically bringing back small businesses and artists as part of the temporary reactivation.
Unico Properties Spokesperson.
What does it mean? Hopefully just what it says. They aren’t just hearing it from me, I’m sure the Alliance For Pioneer Square has been pressuring them, they have to look at it every day. The promises Unico made to Pioneer Square predate my time there, they bought the building a long time ago, and made more promises since, but not being the one they looked in the eye when they made them I hold no grudge. Things fall apart, the center can’t hold sometimes. I get it. If Unico Properties is ready to take the boards down and open up, let them set the example on how to do it right.
This is what it’s going to look like though, until something is done: Worse and worse every week.
Before
After…. so far.
Fingers crossed that the “evaluating and studying” will turn into “trying and doing” soon. It’s damn near March already. The clock is ticking.
March Update
It seemed only a few days of posting this, taggers came to hit the Grand Central again. This time the snails by the Spock mural.
It’s so dreary.