CharlesPhoenix.com

Every week Charles Phoenix publishes his Slide of the Week. These are usually some bit of Americana he’s found while rummaging through photo collections in the thrift store, and they range from architecture to classic cars to pictures of birthday parties. This week his selection was a photo of the old P-I headquarters, with the P-I globe bolted firmly to the roof. Quite a coincidence that he would pick this picture now, when the future of the P-I stands in so much turmoil.

When the P-I closes in a few months, as it undoubtedly will, one thing they’ll have to do is dispose of their assets. And most of their assets are mundane things, like desks, computers, and a hunk of real estate on Elliott Ave. But they do have one remarkable asset that everyone has been looking up to for decades, and now wondering for weeks what is going to happen to it. That’s the signature globe on top of the building.

photo by Flickr user manthropologist

The globe was first mounted in 1948, atop the P-I’s headquarters on Sixth Avenue. When the paper moved its operations to Elliott Ave in the 1980s, they considered if it was worth moving the globe too. But a quick survey of they readers showed that they better move the globe or else. So it went to the new building, where it’s been for over 20 years.

But now it’s going to need a new home. I think there’s enough public sentiment about the globe still that it’s not going to be scrapped, it’s sure to be saved. It’s become as much a symbol of Seattle as the nearby Space Needle (by the way, both icons were built by the same company, Pacific Car and Foundry, PACCAR).

The assumption, and I think it’s a good one, is that the globe will go to MOHAI, which has rescued many other signs and landmarks over the years. It think that’s the best place for it, and MOHAI has said they’d be “thrilled to have it.” Or it could go to a new owner, who has also shown interest. But as far as I know, no decision has been made yet, especially since the owners of the P-I are still publicly entertaining the idea of making the paper go online-only. I think that’s just lip service, but we’ll see. And I’m sure no news about the globe will come out until that particular decision has been announced and they’re in the process of selling everything off.

A must-read is Monica Guzma’s article (and accompanying photo gallery) about the condition the globe is in now. She went up on the roof last month to visit the globe first-hand, and to talk with the repairman that keeps it spinning and keeps the lights lit. And what she reveals is that the globe up close looks exactly like you’d expect it to look after braving sixty years of Seattle weather. It’s rusted and fading, parts are flaking off, the wiring needs to be replaced, and the panels are separating from each other. The snowpocalypse in December sheared off several of the neon tubes, which had to be repaired. Keeping the globe turning is a big job, and whoever takes over the globe would have to take over the care and feeding of a cranky piece of machinery. Again, I think MOHAI would be most up to the job. The idea everyone seems excited about is mounting it on the roof of the new home of MOHAI in South Lake Union. Then the globe could keep spinning, looking out over the lake hopefully for another sixty years.

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