In 2004, a permit was filed to demolish the building at 802 Seneca. Kitty-corner from Town Hall, the apartment complex known as both Park Seneca and, originally and then again later, the Alfaretta, was finally set to be leveled in 2006. And while it's still (partially) standing, changes may be on the way. more ›

That mysterious building at 13th and E. Columbia used to bleach flour, but now it bleaches hospital laundry. more ›

Here's a bonus look at Minor Avenue and Marion Street on First Hill. more ›

You know that great book on First Hill history? You're lying, there is none. Here's a proxy. more ›

As posted yesterday, the Seattle Department Transportation has revised their proposed parking hikes -- and while some neighborhoods are spared any increases, and most neighborhood parking prices are actually decreasing, the downtown commercial core and First Hill are remaining at $4 an hour. Spared from the hike is struggling Pioneer Square, hurt by the economy and a bad reputation, whose revised rate went down from $4 to $3.50. more ›

Talk about downsizing. The Christian Science Church has left some great buildings behind from their membership peak in Seattle. Here's a few shots of what's now Town Hall, from the mid 1960s. more ›

• The P-I reports that Washington unemployment hit 9.3% last month, up from 9.1% in May.
• The Big Blog says that Allstate has found what we all already knew: Seattle drivers are amongst the worst in the nation.
• The Magnolia Voice has info on the "Admiral's House" up above Smith Cove that the Navy plans to sell off. If you have need of a two-story, eight-bedroom house on four acres of land with one of the best views in the city, apparently you should look into it.

State House Speaker Frank "Grumpypants McMegamall" Chopp and 43rd District Representative Jamie Pedersen (the Fightin' 43rd) tag team tomorrow to host a town hall on the current legislative session. It's at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at First Hill's Seattle First Baptist Church, located near Harvard and Spring. They'll fill you in on all the news from down Olympia way. more ›

Construction alert! We've got it all right here. more ›

A fire at the Westminster Apartments at 9th & Marion gave residents a rude awakening early Saturday morning. The P-I's Seattle 911 blog reports: more ›

Pioneer Property creditors received notice from the group's bank over the weekend of the group's bankruptcy filing that their bills are not being paid. Pioneer Property Group was behind the Live Historic brand, and at one point owned seven "rehabilitated" vintage buildings on Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, and First Hill, and in Fremont and Pioneer Square. We visited a few of them, condo-shopping, and they were great old buildings, but Pioneer was sailing directly into the teeth of a bursting real estate bubble and general recession. Our condolences to the people who thought they'd bought into the safety and security of a home. UPDATE: Now we hear that bankruptcy has not been filed, but Live Historic's office is closed and their phone is dead. more ›

Seattlest works from home, as we've mentioned before, and these days home is a darkish (albeit big-ish) studio apartment on First Hill. Especially on days like today, it can get a little dark and quiet, the patter of rain against our window and our weird-ass cat can be a bit much. So we like to shake things up a bit by heading out into our neighborhood and spending some of our hard-earned cash at any food-and-drink-serving establishment with free wifi. more ›

One more event for tonight: Christian Lander, the biting satirist of Stuff White People Like, makes a free appearance tonight at the Hideout (1005 Boren Ave) to shill the book based on his blog. There's a private dinner beforehand--begging the question "Exactly what stuff do white people like to eat?"--but tickets to that portion of the evening are long sold out. Show up any time after 8 p.m. to buy a book, get it signed, or just mingle and commiserate with your fellow Caucasians. Prepare for tonight by being offended at the very idea of such a tasteless event, and don't forget to bring your Asian wife and token black friend! more ›

They buzz, they flit, they fly. They dart, they dash, they zip. more ›

THEATER: The Brown Derby Series, which debilitated audiences last year with their staged production of Trapped in the Closet, is back, this time they're doing Total Recall. With Seattlest favorite Dusty Warren! more ›

It's another snowy day in Seattle and you, if you're anything like us, are undoubtedly holed up in your drafty apartment wondering what could possibly keep you warm and sated on a day like this. Well, we'll tell you, it's rösti. more ›

THEATER: You have only five more chances to catch WET’s latest offering, In Disdress Now: Redux. Marya Sea Kaminski’s one-woman show was originally developed as as part of On the Boards' Northwest New Works Festival in June 2006. Now the “story of a girl wrestling meaning out of love, porn, and the folds of an enormous red hoop dress” has been expanded into a full-fledged tour de force. more ›

Music: Cat Power, Chan (short for Charlyn) Marshall, brings her insanity-influenced act to our frozen burg. Right now she's walking around town, melting the ice with that impish smile of hers. more ›

According to the Cthulhu blog you have today through Thursday if you want to go gawk at the movie being filmed around Seattle. Today they're scheduled to be up on First Hill, tomorrow in Rainier Beach and then Thursday should be their last day of local filming with stops at Pike Place, ConWorks and Allentown. They'll be in Goonie Country on the 22nd. more ›

John Osebold has been a fixture within Seattle’s fringe community since coming out of the University Of Washington’s School of Drama ten years ago. His many acting/ writing/ singing/ performing/ composing/ directing projects include Player King’s ‘Ballyhoo,’ the sketch comedy group ‘The Habit,’ and he is currently a member of the band “Awesome”, who released their first album, ‘Deleware,’ last fall. His latest project symphony finishes it’s run tonight (10pm) and tomorrow (8pm) at Trinity Parish Church on First Hill. more ›

Unlike Londoners during the Blitz, we Seattleites haven't had much of a chance to prove our mettle in the face of danger. more ›

Seattlest read the book "Zodiac" by sci-fi author Neil Stephenson recently. The story is a sort of eco-thriller about an activist/scientist/environmentalist- type who goes around finding and plugging little pipes that drain toxic materials into the bay in Boston. Intrigue ensues and it's a decent book which you should read. That's fiction, though, right? Well, we bring it up because it was reported today that Swedish Medical Center has been discharging sewage into Lake Union since 1998. more ›

Every so often Seattle University does something that makes us reconsider never responding to their alumni appeals. They host tent city (here's the KUOW take). Now they're partnering with Seattle's third-oldest non-profit professional theater, Empty Space. more ›

What with all the tear gas, video crews, and Subcomandante Marcos imitators in Seattle in 1999 for the WTO protests, Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper’s resignation seemed a bit anticlimactic. It was ironic (but not deliciously) that “Chief Moonbeam” oversaw SPD’s flirtation with jackbooted riot-gear finery. Previously, the San Diego transplant had been criticized by–-what’s the word? Neofascists?--for speaking out of school about police brutality and for his cultural inclusiveness. more ›

March Madness isn't just the NCAA men's tournament, though Seattlest knows they've trademarked the name. At the risk of a lawsuit, we apply it to the hundreds of loser-out basketball tournaments taking place all over the country, from the South Dakota state "A" championship to the public school championships in New York City. Local teams began tournament life last weekend with the Pac-10 Women's basketball tournament and the State 3A Boys and Girls Tournaments. more ›