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Building History

This building was the first restaurant/bar in the chain that would become Trader Vic's. Trader Vic's continued the "atmospheric" tradition of the 1920s movie palace in his extensively decorated restaurants, recreating Polynesian beachfront settings.

In 1972, this first Trader Vic's location was slated for demolition and replacement. An article by Seattle Timescolumnist, Alf Collins, an Oakland native, indicated this in 1972: "It is with mingled pride and sorrow that I announce that the Seattle Trader Vic’s will become the oldest in the 20-restaurant chain which stretches throughout the United States and into Germany, England and Canada. The original T.V.’s where I spent some delightfully misspent youth in Oakland, will be phased out within a year, leaving Seattle, the second oldest, the dowager queen of the Polynesian fleet. A new one will be built down there but it just won’t be the same.” (See Alf Collins, “Odd Parcels: University favors local talent,” Seattle Times, 03/19/1972, p. E4.)

PCAD id: 1625