City can't clean up notorious graffiti hub



Is U-District bulding an eyesore - or art?

Graffiti has so taken over the exterior of the former Tubs building in the University District, it has begun to spread to other surfaces, such as this parking meter.
Last year, when the storied, now-defunct Tubs building was heading toward demolition, the property owner invited a bunch of street artists to use it for murals. Why not, he figured. The walls would be coming down soon.


But the owner lost financing for his project - a new six-story, mixed-use building - and the walls stayed up. Since then, what began as a gritty piece of curated street art has become one of the most notorious landmarks in Seattle for graffiti - loathed by neighbors, celebrated by taggers, and untouchable by city laws.

"Everybody is fed up with it," said a nearby business manager who didn't want to be named, for fear of taggers targeting his building. "It wore out its welcome about 90 days after they started doing it."
Neighbors have repeatedly complained about the building, a 12,000-square-foot structure smothered roof to ground in graffiti. Located on the can't-miss corner of 50th and Roosevelt in the University District, it boasts monochromatic scribbles and vast, garish renderings; chaotic sprays and meticulous brushings; a pair of breasts and a detailed mummy; and the corner of what used to be a pregnant woman with an assault rifle. There is little of the building's original beige.
"It just looks derelict," said Stephanie Ogle, the owner of Cinema Books across the street. Other business owners have complained of empty spray cans littering the ground, squatters inside the building, and of customers feeling unsafe.


City can't clean up Tubs
But the city - despite handling nearly 900 graffiti complaints this year with total compliance from property owners - has no power to clean up Tubs. That's because the property owner, Eric Sun, says the graffiti is art. And he says he wants it there.
"Legally, we're in a difficult position," said Ed McKenna, an assistant Seattle city attorney. "We can't force the owner to remove his graffiti, so we have pretty much have exhausted every remedy."
The city's ordinance defines graffiti as "unauthorized markings." Because Sun has willingly allowed his building to become a "free wall" for taggers and artists, the city can't penalize him with fines or take him to court.
"The difference between art and graffiti is permission," McKenna said. "And of course, it is in the eye of the beholder. But most people find (graffiti) to be offensive. It detracts from the neighborhood. It gives a feeling of insecurity."
Property owner Sun would disagree.


"It's an evolving piece," he said of his building. "Some of it is obviously crap, just stupid people putting tags on it." But he said some of the work is by serious street artists.
His original intent had been to allow his friend to use the space as an ephemeral canvas for curated pieces. His friend, through his arts group, the Free Sheep Foundation, invited a collection of well-known street artists. The original paintings were vivid and edgy.
But the recession halted Sun's plans, the art remained, and people complained. Three city departments have tried to convince Sun to consider his impact to the community. City attorney McKenna even offered volunteers to help Sun paint the building in Husky colors.
It's been to no avail.

'Everyone I know loves it'
"As a property owner, I hate it when my buildings are tagged," Sun said. "But I do view this as a property rights issue."
He anticipated endless, expensive battles if he were to revoke the free wall. And he said he doesn't have the financing to demolish the building any time soon.
He also said the complaints were probably from "older people" in the area, while many younger people seem to appreciate his building.


Indeed, Tubs has become destination for out-of-town artists who roll in with paint, ladders and hours to kill, and a go-to urban backdrop for videos and fashion shoots. Neighbors recently watched a photo shoot with scantily clad women.
"It seems to be very much appreciated by certain sectors," Sun said. "To me, everyone I know loves it."
D.K. Pan, the artist who curated the original works, said the building is much appreciated by street artists. Pan was recently commissioned to curate a Sound Transit construction wall in Capitol Hill, which is now adorned with a dramatic piece by a famous muralist.
"People complain about bad graffiti," Pan said. "Well, how do you not get bad graffiti? You give them places to practice it."


Taken from: Seattlepi