One quality that attracted the first settlers to their hill was that it bubbled. They moved over from the exposed Alki Point in 1852 both for the protected harbor of Elliott Bay and for the springs on First Hill. Even before his heroic clear-cutting of the hill, Seattle's first industrialist tapped its fresh water. Yesler collected the flow in a large cistern near the present site of City Hall Park. From there the hill's hydraulics was delivered along an elevated flume to his mill and to the few homes collected around Pioneer Place.
In 1875 -- years after Yesler had cleared First Hill of its forest -- the bridge builder Charles Coppin dug a six-foot wide well 135 deep at the southeast corner of 9th Avenue and Columbia Street. The spring Coppins tapped was capable of giving 900,000 gallons of "the finest quality water" every 24 hours. It was a prudent tap, for no one as yet needed 900,0000 gallons. When new, Coppin¹s pumping tower looked down on stump fields.
It really does look ugly. But I didn't want to say anything.
I will say, however, that I love those little townhouse unit things at the street level. Are they townhouses? Anyway they look really pedestrian-friendly. And it's still great density for a growing city.
I don't think the Coleman's facade is trying to look like bricks, it's completely horizontal stripes with no vertical "mortar". It just happens to be brick colored and I think it looks pretty good. Go look at the pics vashon posted today in the Coleman's thread. It kind of looks like nice house siding without the overlap.
Yeah I know. It was more a reference to us all thinking it was brick in the renderings then to all of our surprises it wasn't. The same kind of thing happened here.
I never expect real hand-laid brickwork unless I'm told otherwise. These days, almost all of the brick you see comes from pre-formed panels. They don't make 'em like they used to.
Out of curiosity, when has that ever happened? I'm not saying it won't be decent, I am just curious if anybody remembering a project where the fished building looked nicer than the rendering.
I think this apt. Building looks like an airport hotel.
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