* T H E * B L O B *

The Blob was the name given to this hideous building at the foot of Queen Anne Hill, sort of a free-form stucco/concrete cave created to be attention-getting. Located at the corner of N. Roy Street and Queen Anne Avenue North, the Blob played host to a frequently-changing roster of restaurants and nightclubs, none of which really caught on. In our shot (circa 1992) it is painted up as a Greek/Mediterranean restaurant, Orestes, which went the way of the other tenants. The interior was interesting and had acoustic properties characteristic of large tiled indoor spaces (namely, a horrendous echo). The Blob was demolished in 1997 to make way for a parking lot. Certain of its characteristics--its quirky individuality and curvilinear roofline--can be seen in the Experience Music Project now being built in the same district, around the other side of Seattle Center; but there the similarities end: the EMP shows every sign of being an innovative and acoustically enjoyable building, and a great asset to Seattle's cultural life rather than an eyesore.

Photo copyright © 1999 by Larry Neilson.