Owners of the Louisa/Hudson Hotel, devastated by fire, with community members (Photo by George Liu/NWAW)
By Assunta Ng
No one knows what will happen to Chinatown’s Louisa/Hudson Hotel, which was destroyed on the west side last December by a fire.
The longer the owners take to make a decision, the more damage will be done to the building. Since the fire, the stores with the remaining merchandise have been robbed at least twice. A car ran into the building through the fence on one side and there are signs of people crawling inside the fence to see the condemned building out of curiosity.
So what options do the owners have?
They can minimize headaches by selling the building at once. But, even if they want to sell, deals don’t happen overnight. However, the sooner they make that decision, the sooner their headaches disappear.
If they want to preserve it as a historical building, and are not afraid of the headaches, then more power to them.
Liability is a burden for buildings with tenuous safety issues. It also takes a lot of energy, time, and money to get the required permits and to go through the city’s bureaucracy. Plus, there is a lot of work to gain financing.
However, there are agencies which have come forward to offer help, such as the Seattle Chinatown/International District Preservation Development Authority.
What will happen if the owners don’t make a decision? Indecision means cost not only to the owners, but the community. (end)