What’s up with the boxing gloves?
If you were to look up as you walked past the Good Arts Building, you might notice that our flower baskets aren’t hanging from the standard-issue Pioneer Square brackets. Two of the buildings’ owners designed and built these brackets to pay homage to some of the characters and institutions from the building’s colorful history.
Schelles’ Grotto, a notorious speakeasy (and worse) occupied the basement at the turn of the last century; several other saloons existed on the first floor over the years, including the Yankee Clipper Tavern.
Hershberg Men’s Clothiers were among the building’s first tenants; their highly visible signage dominates the corner in early photos.
Wolf’s Good Eats Cafeteria, whose name is emblazoned on the building in photos from the teens (and the inspiration for our name), occupied both second and third floors. The cup also marks the future location of Cherry Street Coffee House!
The Skid Road Theatre (1975-1980) was an important part of Seattle’s (and Pioneer Square’s) theatrical history; actors and directors who went on to shape local professional theatre worked there in their early years.
The 102 Cherry Club (basement, 1940’s) figures prominently in Se- attle jazz history as the club where visiting acts would wind down and play casual, unadvertised sets after public mainstage shows elsewhere. Our future plans involve restoring the basement to a performance space.
The Evergreen boxing gym occupied the third floor in the 1940’s -’60’s. Among the memorable quotes attributed to ts irrepressible proprietor, George Chemeres: “I lived by the sweat of my imagination” – which also happens to be an appropriate motto for the current second-floor occupant, ’57 Biscayne art studios.
