In honor of Block Party, we take a break from the regularly shared Elliott Bay bestsellers to bring you this roster of the top 10 songs last week from Capitol Hill karaoke bar Rock Box. 

Top 10 for the period July 9th to July 15th. You can view Rock Box’s top lists for recent periods here. And, by the way, Rock Box is a CHS advertiser. CHS will now perform, I Get Money. Drop a beat…

Now, compare and contrast to the Rock Box top 10 for June. What have we learned?

By 5p, the chance of rain forecast for Pike/Pine is 10% and sick beats, 110%. That’s what the kids tell us. Welcome to CHS’s 2012 CHBP coverage. We’ll update with open thread posts through the weekend with a focus on the people making it happen, the crowds and the community around the festival. We’ve told you a bit about the back-story for the 2012 Block Party here — a long-time driver of the event is now the man in charge. We’ll also be tweeting from the event and grabbing pictures of the goings-on. You can follow @jseattle and @chsfuntern to play along. Let us know what you’re seeing. You can also call/txt (206) 399-5959 or email us at [email protected]. Have fun.

• Friday started with thunder and lightning. If CHS were the new owner of Block Party, we would have been freaking out. But the forecast really does show things starting to dry and staying that way with the start of gates opening at 3p. That forecast looks ok into Sunday when the plan is for more drizzle. By then, the place will probably need a bath.
• Thee Oh Sees, Allen Stone, and Fitz and the Tantrums give the main stage their first big workout tonight.
• Sound check went off as normal Friday despite the weather. Organizers told CHS they had “contingency plans” but didn’t offer specifics other than to say there are no planned cancellations for any Friday acts.
• 1:39PM – CHBP moves in –
  • The north side of E Union has again this year been cleared for bus and RV parking for many of the performers. But there’s another place the denizens of CHBP will call home this weekend. Here’s the report from CHS correspondent Sebastian Garrett-Singh:

  

  Walking into the quaint Silver Cloud Inn on East Madison St and Broadway, it does not seem to be “crazy loud and rowdy” as front desk attendant Lena says it becomes over Block Party weekend. Cabbies occasionally stop by, foreign tourist get directions to the spots on the hill; at 7:20 the hotel was all but crazy. LENA –>

  Lena tells a different story to CHS, the 179 room capacity hotel has been booked solid for a long while, and many DJ’s, sponsors, and bands performing at Capitol Hill’s Block Party are currently calling the Silver Cloud their home. She was not able to get into specifics about the residents.

  Lena was very excited to talk with CHS stating that she herself was a “high school journalist” and loves talking with them. Score! Glad not to get an Oscar the Grouch. She goes onto say that film crews have been shooting interviews with performers at the hotel and around the hill. I inquired if there was any special rate for Block Party weekend and was told by Lena, the hotel actually “raised prices” in anticipation of Block Party.

  It would seem that if you’re looking for an after party this weekend, that the Silver Cloud Inn is the spot to do it big! Neighboring businesses Neighbors, and Jimmy’s On Broadway will likely be doing pretty good business this weekend, and may be a good spot to meet some of your favorite Capitol Hill Block Party performers.

  As Good to Die Records tweets, “Fuck going back and forth from Ballard” there is “LotsaDranks” to be had on the hill and this weekend the Silver Cloud looks primed to be “crazy and rowdy.”

   

  1:40PM – pike at broadway, seattle wa – Sound check

  1:48PM – The map and the app – The layout for CHBP 2012 is the same as 2011 so you shouldn’t get too lost. Meanwhile, early reviews for the new Block Party mobile app seem positive. All eight of the reviews in the iTunes store rated the free product a perfect 5 of 5 stars.

  1:50PM – No parking – E Union awaits your rock-n-roll RV

  1:51PM – Ballyhoo – Light show

  1:53PM – Business time – While some of the venues inside the fences will generate about 20% of their annual revenue this weekend, it’s a struggle for others. That doesn’t keep those on the outside of the festival from looking for ways to be part of things. Here, Manhattan has a promotion to attempt to sway CHBP-goers to 12th Ave.

  1:55PM – – Meanwhile, Marination Station also has a plan:

  This weekend. Need an easy place to meet up with friends for the Cap Hill Block Party? Marination Station.

  Want to enjoy some grub, good times, and the tunes from a distance? Come to the bricks. Bring a chair if you want.

  Wish there was a way to hear music for free and avoid all the sweaty humanity? The giant plaza in front of Marination Station is your spot. Bring a cooler while you’re at it!

  PIKE & BROADWAY on top of QFC. Seriously, if there is a more perfect spot to chill outside of the gates, we don’t know it!

  1:57PM – The streets – A reminder that Broadway near Pike/Pine is messier than normal these days with First Hill streetcar construction. Another reason not to drive a car anywhere near Block Party.

  2:08PM – Stanley is waiting – Via @tonysnark: “I ❤ you @stanleypiano. Come see him live at cap hill block party. He takes requests via twitter.”

These workshops provide a place to learn, create and enjoy the process. Each class is taught in a studio environment where information on a specific topic is provided and discussed. Then, that information is synthesized and a solution to a specific design challenge is created by the student.

The most important goal is to have fun while learning and creating.

For more information, go to http://archforkids.blogspot.com/.

Updates from the streets — and the courts, below. Know about an incident we should share? Email us here.

• Maintenance man charged in rape: The Seattle Times reports that a maintenance worker at a 19th Ave low-income housing apartment building has been charged with the rape of a 63-year-old resident:

A 33-year-old maintenance man who quit his job at a Central District apartment complex is accused of returning two days later and raping a 63-year-old woman, according to King County prosecutors.

---

Bryan Stillman Geralds was charged Thursday with first-degree burglary and first-degree rape for the alleged attack June 30 on the woman. She didn’t report the incident to Seattle police until July 7 because she “was fearful of having to talk in detail about the incident,” charging papers say.

“The victim is fearful for her safety in her own apartment,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Carol Speer wrote in charging documents. Apparently, Geralds was intoxicated at the time, and “alcohol appears to be a problem for the defendant,” she wrote.

Geralds is currently held on $100,000 bail.

• Ferrari suspect arrest: The Central District News has details of the arrest of a 20-year-old in the shooting death of Madrona man Justin Ferrari at MLK/Cherry in May. The suspect has not yet been charged but was booked into jail Thursday for investigation of homicide. Social media postings reveal the 20-year-old displaying colors and symbols associated with East Cherry area gang activity.
• Melrose dangler: The Times has also posted an image of a suspect’s bad idea to attempt to escape arrest Thursday afternoon along Melrose Ave. Police records show the man was being hauled in on a felony warrant arrest but will also was booked on obstruction for his ill-advised escape route. SPD has promised more details incident later today via its Blotter site.
  
  UPDATE Here’s what SPD has to say about the chase:

  Yesterday, just before 2:00 pm, an East Precinct officer stopped to speak to a man in the 600 block of East Thomas Street because he resembled a wanted person. The officer asked the man to step over to his patrol car while he interviewed him. The officer asked the man his name and the man gave a first name, and appeared to be very nervous. While he was speaking to the officer the suspect kept looking over his shoulder. The man stated that he did not have any identification on him, and gave the officer a vague home address. The officer was suspicious that the man was lying and was in the process of calling for another officer to respond when the suspect took off running. The officer gave chase, as the suspect fled westbound on East Thomas. The suspect then ran in between the buildings as additional officers responded to the block and set up containment.

  A few minutes later another officer spotted the suspect emerge from a side door of a building in the 150 Block of Melrose Avenue East. The suspect had pulled off his outermost t-shirt to disguise himself, now wearing a grey t-shirt, but still carrying his red t-shirt in his hand. The officer yelled at the suspect, “Stop!”, but the suspect continued to run. The officer pursued, and the suspect continued to run along Melrose Avenue East until he crossed the street and inexplicably, jumped over the railing that runs along I-5. The suspect was able to somehow hook one of his arms briefly on the top of the railing in order to prevent him from falling an estimated 40-50 feet to the northbound lanes of I-5 below. The pursuing officers arrived quickly and grabbed onto the suspect, pulling him back over the railing to safety.

  The Seattle Fire Department responded to check the suspect’s condition. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center for medical treatment. While the suspect was being evaluted, officers were able to determine that the suspect had lied about his name and other officers recalled arresting the same individual on a prior contact where he lied about his name and ran from officers at that time. The suspect’s true name was run and an outstanding warrant for assault was discovered.

  After the suspect was released from the hospital, the 32 year old man was booked into the King County Jail for Obstructing, the outstanding warrant, and false reporting. The Seattle Times had an outstanding photo of the incident captured just as officers were arriving to the suspect hanging from the railing.

• May Day probation: Bobby Ditrani, a Capitol Hill-area artist charged with assault for spitting on a police officer in the Seattle May Day 2012 protests, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to a suspended 90 days in jail and a year’s probation. The case against another Capitol Hill-connected man in the May Day protests was dropped in May. Earlier this year, Ditrani pleaded guilty to charges stemming from this New Year’s Day vandalism incident.

Too often we see this visual on our streets!
A down and out person hoping today will be the day that his or her life changes for the better?
A poor soul holding up a crumbled piece of cardboard sharing a desperate plea for help to those that drive by on their way to whatever and wherever… 
A quick look, a thanks that he or she isn’t you, a wonderment, an accusation, a rationalization, consideration of a donation, a decision, departure.
How many consider pulling over to ask the person who they are? 
A polite enquiry asking them their name and what you can do to help, just a little bit, to bring a little hope into their lives. Perhaps questioning why they are on the streets in a land that swells with pride at its accidental riches.
Recognition of their value will bring light into their day.
Sure, you may be scared! 
Imagine how scared you would be if the rolls were reversed and you were hugging a corner praying you weren’t-
Standing in the pouring rain tearing your mind to shreds over how you have failed your children, yourself, your family by ending up here on the streets begging for help. 
You have defined failure even if your demons protect you from that reflection. 
The reality may be that we have failed you-you didn’t fail us.
We have forgotten.
We have bought into questionable values.
We have accepted you as a failure to yourself.
We have forgotten.
Andrew has a name and a story as valid as any we pack around, as we dodge and weave away from joining him on a corner.  
In our hopes of cocooning ourselves we look the other way so as not to be infected by those swimming along the bottom of the tank.
We have forgotten.
Floyyd  has a name and a story as intricate, interesting, challenging as the driver of that luxury car that just flew by without a glance.
Laura has a name and a tale of survival, and success, that she shares with those forgetting to remember…
What’s my name?
Don’t forget me.

Dixon’s Cap Hill location will be closing in two weeks (Image: CHS)

As Block Party rages on this weekend, some big changes are quietly happening on 12th Ave. While Dixon’s Used Furniture prepares for its last two weeks on the street, the lease is already being signed to convert the space into a sizable Austrian themed beer hall. 

The operational team at Poquitos is behind the new hall, and are preparing to renovate the 10,000 square-foot warehouse space at 912 12th Avenue with a new mezzanine, kitchen, and outdoor dining additions.

“We are all really excited about it,” Dustin Watson of Poquitos said. “The idea is to make it really causal, turn it into a community spot in the neighborhood.”

People can expect 24 beers on tap, 8 bocce ball tables courts (6 inside, 2 outside), and in-house Austrian sausage, which the pub will make on its own. Construction budget is listed as nearly $400,000 with plans for a mezzanine and outdoor dining and with Strata Architects listed as the lead on the project. The Poquitos team is keeping quiet on details for now as they are in the first week of signing the lease — but they were able to say that the new pub will hopefully be open by the end of the year. 

The 1930 masonry building is owned by real estate investor Chi Tsung Pong who purchased the property in 2005 for $2.8 million, according to county records.

An Austrian beer hall will occupy Dixon’s 10,000 square-foot space (Image: CHS)

Beyond the opportunity presented by the new restaurant venture, slow business is behind Dixon’s exit from the street. “The store was never as busy as it needed to be,” said manager Shawn Mason. “Nobody’s coming in anymore. It’s been hard in this economy.” Dixon’s other location on 1915 Rainier Ave South will remain open in wake of the 12th closure so those looking for used furniture still have that option. The furniture store is having a large sale in the meantime to try to move stock before the closure.

The location has also been home to hookah bar Majles Cafe. CHS has not confirmed the status of the cafe but if it is also a goner, the Capitol Hill area hookah bar population is taking a significant hit this summer. Last week, CHS reported that the Cobra Lounge would be closing to make way for a long-awaited demolition in advance of a new apartment project at the site of the old Undre Arms apartments.

CHS first reported on the first venture by the food and drink team including Watson, Deming Maclise, James Weimann, and Rich Fox as they kicked the tires on being part of Melrose Market. Maclise and Weimann had successfully launched Bastille in Ballard and were looking for a home for a new concept to capture inspiration from travels in Mexico. CHS soon learned Poquitos was destined for E Pike where it has settled in nicely offering mid to upscale Mexican food and craft-focused cocktails. Poquitos is also a long-time CHS advertiser.

The addition of the project — we can’t share the name yet — will further transform 12th Ave’s food and drink offerings south of Madison. Cafe Presse has established itself as a longterm neighborhood presence while Lark has focused and made space for the ascension of Canon to the top of Seattle’s craft cocktail heap. Down the street, Ba Bar is extending the stretch into the Central District. Meanwhile, The Chieftain happily serves the needs of the thirsty Seattle University population.

The Capitol Hill beer hall trend, started in the 15th century, was given a solid kick in the ass with the emergence of the Pine Box  earlier this year in the old Chapel space. It’s a good concept for a community that seems to enjoy a frothy crowd of people having a good time and plays solidly into some of the values of connoisseurship the Hill apparently holds dear.

Police have arrested the man suspected of shooting and killing Justin Ferrari. He was taken into custody in Federal Way on Thursday, police say. Police have served several related search warrants in and around the city related to the investigation into the May 24th homicide. Full coverage here.

The Melrose & Pine development project will incorporate three “character buildings” with rich histories in Pike/Pine. At the project’s first public design review Wednesday night, the Madison Development Group and Hewitt Architects displayed images that capture the old buildings in their heyday and remind us of the preservation opportunity found on the block. CHS asked the developer and architect if we could share the Puget Sound Regional Archives image with our readers. Thanks to them for sharing. We’ve assembled the images below along with information from the design proposal for the project.

Pike/Pine’s three-day Capitol Hill Block Party has grown so large that community themes around “reclaiming the street” get a little lost. It’s the ultimate human takeover of the roadway, really. Coming up on August 7th, Seattle will rally around a night that encourages many such (smaller scale) takeovers including many right here on Capitol Hill. But we’re pretty solid on the whole taking over the street thing already. And it’s not just Occupy.

“We’ve blocked off our street a bunch this summer so the kids can play and neighbors can schmooze,” a Stevens Elementary-area neighbor tells CHS. “It only takes two strategically placed cars.”

It’s a guerrilla tactic, for sure. The Seattle Department of Transportation offers permits for closing a non-arterial street whenever you’d like. But these Capitol Hill neighbors have taken things into their own hands and cut out the bureaucracy. “No time or need for that,” the neighbor said about city permits.

If you would like to do things on the up and up, the 2012 National Night Out is approaching. You can register here to permit your non-arterial street closure and join neighbors in a night of chat, bbq and fun. So far, the Capitol Hill listings are a little slim — nice work 2300 Block of 11th Ave E and 11th and Denny on getting yourselves registered already! Here’s a look at 2011’s night out on Capitol Hill.

Wednesday nights on Broadway (and on nearby streets) mean regularly scheduled Student Debt Noise Brigade marches. No permits there, either. The weekly #miccheckwallstreet event slows down the main drag for a bit as protesters march against student debt and into Cal Anderson every Wednesday. “Student debt is crippling lives and killing dreams,” the group says. “Bring a pot and make some noise.”

In the spirit of Occupy and those rebellious neighbors of north Capitol Hill, the Renegade Planners Collective has regularly established its guerilla block party in the street in the peculiar little stretch at E Denny and Summit Ave E:

(Image: RPC)

Huge thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed the space with us last Thursday. Without your faces and food*, it would just be two dudes and a bunch of furniture in a street.

As we gear up for future projects, we’re always looking for tips on locations that could use some love**, ideas on how to add life to spaces^, and extra hands to help haul^^. If you have any or all of these things, let us know, yeah?

(* A couple of tuppers were left behind)

(** The sea of concrete at Thomas and Harvard is looking ripe)

(^ Massive thanks to Sean Johnson and Jason Wood for their wonderful seesaw couches)

(^ Apparently park benches and tetherball poles weigh a bunch)

The collective will be on the street as part of Block Party this weekend, by the way. They’re on the hunt for “a couple hundred cassette tapes,” according to the Renegade Planners Collective Facebook page.