The City is holding an open house next Tuesday on the King Street Station Renovation. From the press release:
In 2008, the city purchased King Street Station and started a major restoration of the landmark building to transform it into a modern transportation hub equipped to serve Seattle for the next hundred years.
In less than a year, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and its contractor have substantially completed exterior building improvements. Very shortly, SDOT will begin Phase II and the much-anticipated interior restoration. The lobby’s original ornate ceiling will be restored, Amtrak operations reconfigured, the grand staircase to Jackson Plaza reopened, and seismic upgrades will be made.
You are invited to a public meeting to meet members of the project team, learn more about completed and upcoming work, and ask questions.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
International District/Chinatown Community Center
719 8th Avenue South (cross street Dearborn Street)Please RSVP to Josh Stepherson, (206) 684-3136, or kingstreet@seattle.gov
Looks like a good event. H/T to Tim.
Update: Ben plans to attend, so say hi if you see him there.
who owned it before?
BNSF Railway. Mayor Nickels told us they had planned to purchase it for $1, but the city’s accounting system could’t allow real estate purchases under $10, so they had to pay $10.
Or something like that.
You’ve got it. A 900% cost overrun! :)
Ah, and I thought it was just run away inflation in the Seattle real estate market :-)
Seriously though, what did BNSF really get for turning the station over to the city. Obviously the land is worth millions. I’m sure Paul Allen had to cough up more than a ten spot for Union Station.
They got ‘not having to maintain it and pay property taxes anymore’.
BNSF still owns the land. The City bought the building.
Well, that makes a little more sense. Is the City now leasing the land from BNSF?
It was built as a joint project by BNSF Predecessors Northern Pacific and Great Northern.
To be clear, the predecessors got the land for free as part of a railroad land grant. So BNSF can’t sell railroad land, they can only abandon it. In fact, they have to abandon it if they don’t run a train on it at least once every six months. That’s why the railroads gave away the land for the Burke-Gilman trail and the track near 405 for free.
Railroad land grants to encourage pushing west were alternate 1 square mile sections on each side of the track. That land became private property of the railroads. The ROW itself is under a different set of laws to preserve the transportation corridor.
With respect to King Street Station it’s tax parcel number is 5247801160
The public records are very strange. It shows a sale for $0 to City of Seattle on 1-29-2008 and the reason listed is “Partial Int – love,aff,gft “. However, BNSF is still the taxpayer. It’s assessed at $20M. So it seems they still own the land and continue to pay a hefty property tax. Maybe someone can sort through the City records and find out if there is a lease agreement for the land.
So I know the ID CC/Library is a great place and close to the station, but wouldn’t it have been more logical to have the event at King St Station?
Not when there are two trains leaving and one arriving (and that’s just Amtrak) during that time. :)
Good point!
Where? The King St Station building is under renovation, i.e. it’s a construction zone. Amtrak has enough trouble keeping their passengers safe between waiting room and platform.
FYI the beautiful photo shown above is actually of Sound Transit’s King Street Station, as seen from the stairs dexcending from the Weller Street Bridge.
It would be great if they could some day build a pedestrian connection between King Street Station and the ID Station that didn’t envolve going up and down multiple staircases and crossing streets.
You know I have often wondered that, but it would have to be some kind of tunnel between the two areas – and given our penchant for taking forever on thinking about, designing, agreeing and building tunnels – I don’t think even if it was logistically possible, you would see anything like this for a while. You should however see a nicer plaza in front of King Street at the top of the ‘grand stairway’ which should make more a more pleasant approach to the station from the ID without having to use Weller Street or going around and down the stairs of the Metro building.
Tim
I plan on being at this too. Brian [Bunbridge] are you coming to this one as well? Sorry I didn’t get a chance to speak to you at the recent meet up.
I hope Mayor Nickels will be at this event too as well as Seattle City Councilmember Jan Drago. We need to thank both Councilmember Drago and Mayor Nickels for their great support of King Street Station restoration. I was there on the day that the City ‘bought’ the station for $10 and there were no end of us ready to reach into our pockets (including the Mayor)to fork out the money:) It was an eventful day for the Mayor as together with signing his name on behalf of the City of Seattle and the rest of us, he also was scheduled the same day to witness the TBM ploughing its way to the finish line and out into the open at one of the Beacon Hill tunnels.
We should also thank Ron Sheck from WSDOT who made King Street Station a special project before he retired or moved elsewhere shortly after the hand over. I kept telling him that there were lots of us out here who love or could love the old station as a major gateway to Seattle. No all we need, are more trains to be allowed to use it!
Tim
Can we climb up into the Clock Tower? Please???
Did ST ever consider retrofitting tracks on that service King Street station to create a seamless transfer between LRT and the commuter line(s)?
I realize that commuter trains and LRT operate on different types of tracks, but would there have been any possible way to accomplish this?
Am I supposed to get a reply after I RSVPed?