Lost Buildings

Each and every year, familiar buildings, structures, sites, and objects in neighborhoods across Seattle are met with deferred maintenance, major alterations, and demolition. Those places that have played important roles in defining neighborhoods, fostering memories, and adding tangible and intangible value to communities are always the hardest to see go. The loss of a significant building often leaves future generations with only the photographs and stories of what once was. While the irreversible demolition of historic places has led to informed changes in public policy, the designating of landmarks, and the rise of proactive neighborhood preservation; in many cases communities lament their loss years and decades later. We highlight some of these unfortunate losses below.