On December 24, 2013, a fire at the Louisa Hotel located at 665 S. King Street in the International District displaced several neighborhood businesses. The building was deemed a safety hazard by city inspectors and was fenced off and condemned for the last year.
On Monday, city planners said they will begin salvaging parts of the building in a massive historic preservation project. KOMO News reported that the National Park Service approved the family’s plans this month to stabilize the exterior and renovate the interior building and that a permit to proceed will be approved by the Seattle Department of Planning and Development this week.
Chinatown-ID Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) executive director Don Blakeney wrote in a letter today to the community: “It was exactly a year ago this week that our aspirations for the neighborhood were challenged as the Louisa Hotel, a centerpiece of King Street, caught fire and nearly burned to the ground. It has been a long road this year, but we are thrilled to announce that before the end of the year, the Woo family (with the help of SCIDpda) will break ground on a full renovation of the buildingâthe fourth residential project in the District to get underway in 2014. When complete, these projects together will bring nearly 500 new residents to live, shop and play in the Chinatown-International District.”
Related Story:
665 S. King St. fire: Salvaging the past, rising from the debris
