The hole has been here so long, it’s a part of us now. Photo: Melissa Santos/Axios
For nearly two decades, Seattle City Hall has stood across from a gaping hole in the ground. For now, that’s not changing.
Why it matters: The razing of the city’s old public safety building in 2005 created “a gap in the urban fabric” that for years has “marred the downtown landscape,” writes the Pacific Coast Architecture Database .
The latest: Plans to build a 58-story tower with condominiums, retail space and a public plaza at the site “are in a holding pattern,” Bryan Stevens, a spokesperson for the city’s building department, told Axios on Oct. 31.
- According to a report filed with the city last month, “significant construction activity ceased in July 2022” at the site, which occupies a full city block between Third and Fourth avenues.
- Vancouver, B.C.-based Bosa Development, which continues to own the downtown parcel, did not respond to multiple messages from Axios seeking comment.
State of play: Attempts to transform the empty hole downtown have hit several stops and starts over the years.