January 22, 2005
I'm not even going to mention that it's raining today - that's a given these days. Tim and I headed out to do an errand or two and on a whim, decided to see if we could track down a famous local landmark. Here are a few pictures of our outing.
Lewis Nasmyth's patent drawing for Hat 'n' Boots gas station office.

 

HAT 'N' BOOTS

We'd tried to find these cultural icons a few times, unsuccessfully. Here's a little background on them:

"On March 20, 1956, Lewis H. Nasmyth received U.S. Patent No. 177,189 for a “new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture.” The article in question was the Hat ‘n’ Boots Premium Tex gas station built in 1955 at 6800 Corson Avenue S on the corner of E Marginal Way near Georgetown.

The station office was canopied by a giant cowboy hat measuring 44 feet in diameter, and the restrooms were housed in boots standing 22 feet tall.

The Hat ‘n’ Boots Premium Tex was the state’s leader in gasoline sales for the next three years. Legend has it that Elvis pumped gas for his Cadillac at the Hat ‘n’ Boots while filming It Happened at the World’s Fair in Seattle in 1963.

Construction of Interstate-5 relegated Highway 99 to secondary status, and the Hat ‘n’ Boots lost a major portion of its gas sales. The gas station closed in 1988 and sat derelict. Graffiti marred its exterior and grass sprouted up through the concrete. Brave skateboarders even climbed the hat to ride its brim.

In 1989, Federal Way used car dealer Cal Worthington attempted to buy and relocate the Hat ‘n’ Boots. John Keister, of KING-TV’s comedy sketch show “Almost Live,” also campaigned on air to salvage the station. Kai Schwartz, a Seattle architect who lives a few blocks from the Hat ‘n’ Boots, led a march in Georgetown in March 1997 by demonstrators all wearing cowboy boots and attire to protest the Hat ‘n’ Boots demolition.

The Georgetown Community Council obtained title to the structures for $1 in 2002 and secured $250,000 in grants to fund their removal to and restoration at a new Oxbow Park at 6400 S Corson Avenue. The move was made, hat first, then boots, on December 13, 2003. "

From www.hatnboots.org

Lewis Nasmyth's patent drawing for Hat 'n' Boots rest rooms.

Hat 'n' Boots gas station, 1950s

Hat 'n' Boots gas station, 1970s
And here's what it looked like today - what a shame. Except for graffiti on the boots, it seems as if the project bogged down a couple of years ago and the hat was never completed.
According to a sign at Oxbow Park, the Hat and Boots are scheduled to be restored in 2004 - 2005. The Georgetown Council has raised the funds to restore the Boot and the community is continuing to fundraise for the Hat restoration.

I thought they looked kinda sad, standing there behind their chainlink fence, covered with graffiti.

Here's hoping that next time we see them, they'll be restored to their former glory, for they are such a fun landmark.

 


Armen Stepanian, not amused by the dog face.

WAITING FOR THE INTERURBAN

That's the name of a famous statue located in the Fremont area, which is close to where we live.

According to the Seattle PI, "Most people don't notice that the dog peering out from among the people's legs has a man's face.

The face is a relic of a dispute between sculptor Richard Beyer and aluminum recycler Armen Stepanian, the one-time honorary mayor of Fremont. Both were on a Fremont Arts Council committee to choose a sculptor. When nobody applied, recalls Fremont artist Roger Wheeler, Beyer chose himself.

Stepanian objected. 'He didn't think it was an appropriate piece, he didn't think it would look good there, and he didn't think that the chairman of the committee to pick an artist should pick himself,' Wheeler says."

Stung by the attack, Beyer had the last word: He put Stepanian's face on the dog."

The statues are often decorated according to the time of year, or to current events. The bottom picture shows the hoods which materialized on the statues after the shameful prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq last year.

ODDS AND ENDS

February 9th marks the Chinese New Year and as we drove past the International District in downtown Seattle, we noticed beautiful dragons climbing up the light poles.

The Chinatown-International District in Seattle is one of Seattle's oldest areas, settled by Asian Americans in the late 1800s.

More history here.

And good heavens - near Oxbow Park was a very unique archway leading to a house. Closer inspection (but not too close) revealed all sorts of toys, articles of clothing and general housewares decorating the bower.

I even see a Nike Shox shoe!

Hmmm. Since it's very difficult to get rid of garbage here in the Recycling Center of the Universe unless you wish to pay a lotta $$ to dispose of it, perhaps this is a solution :)

 

Photographs