|
Post by Starbucks Queen on Oct 19, 2005 11:23:42 GMT -8
I don´t know how many of you have been following that case, but it´s still not over - read here. Kalakala seeks permanent port in Tacoma The Associated Press TACOMA – Maybe the Kalakala has finally found a home. Steve Rodrigues, president of the Port Angeles-based Kalakala Alliance Foundation, told members of the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission on Wednesday that he'd like to keep the art-deco ferry in Tacoma. In September 2004, Rodrigues had the vessel towed to Tacoma after the Makah Tribe kicked it off tribal docks at Neah Bay, Rodrigues told The News Tribune after the commission meeting that he thinks the Kalakala could serve Tacoma well — as an educational resource, a venue for weddings and a place for South Sound residents to take their spouses for a nice dinner. In February, the state Department of Natural Resources dropped its lawsuit against the foundation that owns the Kalakala. The decision spared the cash-strapped foundation of more than $20,000 in fines racked up when the boat was moored on DNR property on Seattle's Lake Union. Rodrigues told the commission that the Kalakala would fit right in Tacoma's culture, lauding the effort to build the LeMay Car Museum, the restoration of Union Station and the success of the Working Waterfront Museum. "There is a synergy here," said Rodrigues, who bought the ferry at auction for $136,560 in 2003. "It is the right community. Tacoma has what Seattle does not." Seattle booted the Kalakala out of Lake Union shortly after Rodrigues bought it. Rodrigues said he was submitting to the state this week an application to have the 276-foot ferry placed on the National Register of Historic Places. As part of that process, he must choose a city to sponsor his application. Rodrigues told commissioners he will ask that Tacoma be that city. If the state accepts his application, it will forward the paperwork to the landmarks commission for its review within 30 days, said Reuben McKnight, the city's historic preservation officer. It will be up to the commission to make a recommendation to the City Council about whether to sign on to the nomination for listing on the National Register, McKnight said. The City Council would have the final say. Meanwhile, the Kalakala sits in the Hylebos Waterway, tied to a dock. The dock's owner, Karl Anderson, recently extended Rodrigues' lease another six months. Rodrigues promised to paint the vessel before moving it to a more visible location. "I have an $89,000 contract to paint it now," he said. The Kalakala made its maiden voyage on July 3, 1935, and served as a ferry on a route from Seattle to Bremerton until Oct. 2, 1967. It was later sold to be converted into an Alaskan crab-processing vessel. www.kalakala.orgCopyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company
|
|
|
Post by cascade on Oct 20, 2005 7:38:04 GMT -8
That was really interesting. I remember - way back when - 1962 I think Seattle Space Needle - World Fair. We got a cup/mug of the Kalakala - sort of a plastic thing with the picture around it. One also of the Space Needle.
I was in Grade One and when asked what we all wanted to be I said a NASA Spaceman. The Space race was on - the Kalakala looked like something out of this world then - and the Space Needle. What a time to grow up as a kid.....
|
|
|
Post by cascade on Oct 21, 2005 8:25:24 GMT -8
Chivapcici,
I read the links you have posted - how far is he and has he started painting her yet ?
I would be interested to learn more about the re-fit / rebuild and turning her into a museum - do you have more links that there own web site - or do you know anything more not listed on the web site?
Would be very interested to hear - as it might help on a project we are working on...
What I find interesting is that the Hull is wood - yet the superstructure is metal. There was a lot of futuristic designs going around that time. You see it in cars and also TV Programs from that period.
|
|
|
Post by Starbucks Queen on Oct 21, 2005 11:08:27 GMT -8
Well, you can ask of course - there is a link on the website and if you are asking nicely you will get informations - I am sure of that Huh, the hull is NOT wood for sure - it´s iron, superstructure of steel and wheelhouse copper. Futuristic design, I have seen such on cars and trains as well but that´s really the only ferry that got built that way, and it´s still the only one. Don´t have any more links, but there´s a book about that with over 200 pages & lots of pictures and if you ask Google you´ll spend more than one night reading all info.
|
|
|
Post by cascade on Oct 25, 2005 9:36:05 GMT -8
Sorry - mistake on my part - as I though the Hull was wood - saw a caption in a picture after she had burned down to her waterline - miss read it.
Seems to be taking along time in getting funding - given that there a re few very rich people living in the Seattle - Redmond - area. Starbucks, Microsoft & Amazon - just to name a few.... Getty Images is also there..... Mark Getty has a few boob.....
|
|
|
Post by Starbucks Queen on Oct 27, 2005 11:50:55 GMT -8
Yes, the funding takes time - or so to say it has dried up pretty much after the ship left Seattle. As far my information goes, people and especially Lake Union residents finally had enough about it. Those who were willing to give funding didn´t have the big bucks literally and due to some US law all renovation work had to be stopped, as it needs to be done in a proper shipyard. Starbucks, Microsoft etc.. I think they do have much different interests, about private people for whom a funding for this project would be more like a "pocket-money" - IF you had their money and there was question about ordering yourself a new luxurious yacht or renovate this one - What would you choose..
|
|
|
Post by cascade on Oct 28, 2005 9:31:51 GMT -8
If I was Bill Gates or Paul Allen - then have both. Gates doesn't like boats anyway.
We have a lot of tax credits for this type of project - what do they have in the States and is it local or federal breaks the person or company gets ?
|
|
|
Post by Starbucks Queen on Oct 28, 2005 9:49:36 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by cascade on Oct 28, 2005 10:06:53 GMT -8
$15M seems a lot - but interesting ideas for what they want her to look like when finished. Still find it hard to believe that the "local" billionaires can't find a few million to help out.
|
|
|
Post by NMcKay on Oct 31, 2005 22:13:44 GMT -8
i dont know. shes one of the ugliest things ive ever seen...jmho
|
|
|
Post by hergfest on Oct 31, 2005 23:53:56 GMT -8
I think the Kalakala is one of the most beautiful ferries ever built.
|
|
|
Post by cascade on Nov 4, 2005 11:31:21 GMT -8
Her looks & lines sort of grow on you after a while. Way ahead of her time when designed......
|
|
|
Post by Starbucks Queen on Nov 4, 2005 12:01:14 GMT -8
As well I think it´s one of the most beautiful ferries ever built. Not just this, many beautiful ones were built over the decades but it´s really the one and only of it´s kind ever built.
Though, I am not surprised to read very different opinioms about the beauty of the ship here - this one has always been polarizing people´s opinioms and was rated Seattle´s second famous sight after the Space needle in 1962
|
|
|
Post by cascade on Nov 4, 2005 12:04:56 GMT -8
Hence my two mug's (Cup) I got when we went to see the Space Needle - in 1966. One of the Kalakala and the Space Needle.
|
|
|
Post by cascade on Nov 15, 2005 10:42:27 GMT -8
Well from that last picture I can now see why it cost a lot to repair her.
As you have seen from the Sidney trip - she is in much better shape - internally anyway.
|
|
|
Post by Dane on Nov 15, 2005 12:08:20 GMT -8
Off topic, but the Sidney seems to be in reasonable conditon over all. Paint is cheap (relativly, that is).
|
|
|
Post by Balfour on Nov 15, 2005 19:05:10 GMT -8
The Queen Sydney right now is the Queen of Rust.
|
|
|
Post by Ferryman on Nov 15, 2005 19:49:55 GMT -8
She seemed fine on the inside, although it was really cold of course and a bit damp, but other than that, it was just like going on any other BC Ferry. Plus there was alot of steel that needed to be replaced on the outer decks, that covering it up with paint wouldn't do any good. The Kalakala looks alot worse than the Sidney does.
|
|
|
Post by cascade on Nov 16, 2005 6:26:53 GMT -8
Your also forgetting the age difference between the two vessels. Plus the super structure of the Kalakala is very different to the Sidney. The wear factor on the Kalakala is much greater due to the material - plus add in the age.
|
|
|
Post by Starbucks Queen on Nov 16, 2005 8:54:52 GMT -8
The Kalakala had the 70 year anniversary this year - so it is much older than the Queen of Sidney of course. The superstructure of the Kalakala is made of steel, the hull of iron - but don´t forget that the ship was for 30 years in Alaska and abandoned for much longer than the 5 years, the Queen of Sidney is. So there is for sure a significant difference. There is almost nothing left over of the K´s interior as they got rid of it, when it was used as a fish-processing/canning ship and production equipment and machinery was installed. Though, as the ship was once really famous the interior is well documented on photos and postcards. You´d have a hard time, finding a postcard of Seattle post 1935 without the ship on it
|
|
|
Post by SS San Mateo on Nov 16, 2005 18:29:01 GMT -8
Most of the interior furnishings were thrown overboard while she was being towed up to Alaska. For whatever reason, one seat was kept.
-- LB
|
|
|
Post by Electric Thunderbird on Feb 8, 2006 21:01:01 GMT -8
Kalakala sails toward national register
BRENT CHAMPACO; The News Tribune Last updated: January 28th, 2006 02:40 AM (PST)
Hoquiam, Grays Harbor County – Plans to restore the art deco ferry Kalakala in Tacoma got a boost Friday when a state panel voted unanimously to place it on Washington’s historic register. The decision by the Washington State Advisory Council on Historic Preservation all but ensures the vessel’s acceptance into the national register of historically significant places.
Then the Kalakala would be eligible for federal grants and other money, which would help pay the estimated $15 million its owner says is needed to restore the ferry to its original grandeur.
“This is a major milestone,” owner Steve Rodrigues said Friday. “The significance of it is the federal money it’s tied to.”
He should know by spring whether the federal register accepts the nomination.
State architectural historian Michael Houser said the National Register of Historic Places rarely rejects a nomination from Washington’s advisory panel.
Restoring the Kalakala could be a boon to Tacoma’s waterfront. Rodrigues brought the dilapidated vessel to Tacoma two years ago when nobody else wanted it, and it remains tied to a private dock on the Hylebos Waterway.
Rodrigues has said the ship could serve as a teaching tool, a venue to hold weddings and a restaurant.
He said Friday that his group, the Kalakala Alliance Foundation, plans to open a museum in Tacoma that relates to the vessel’s maritime history. He declined to elaborate.
Tacoma’s Landmarks Preservation Commission this month recommended the state nominate the ferry for the national register.
Jack Williams, chairman of the state historic advisory council, read letters Friday from Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma and City Councilman Bill Evans encouraging the state council to do the same.
The state’s decision could be a turning point for the once-renowned ferry, which carried about 500 people on its first commercial voyage in 1935.
In its heyday, the Kalakala was renowned for its streamlined design, to which it owes its nickname, the “Silver Slug,” according to Barbara Loomis, who sits on the state’s preservation panel.
The Kalakala ferried passengers between Seattle and Bremerton until the late 1960s. It served the flood of workers at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard during World War II.
Historians say it was the second-most popular attraction at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair behind the Space Needle.
The ferry eventually was sold to an Alaskan company that used it for crabbing and a cannery.
After years sitting rusted, the Kalakala came back to Washington in 1998. It was docked at Seattle’s Lake Union, and Rodrigues bought it at auction in 2003 for $136,560.
The Makah Tribe allowed him to park the ferry at Neah Bay, but the tribe eventually sued Rodrigues for damage to its dock caused by the vessel.
Once the ferry was towed to Tacoma, talk centered on whether the owner could follow through with its costly restoration.
Friday’s decision from the state made the Kalakala’s future a lot more promising, Rodrigues said.
The Kalakala Alliance Foundation already is applying for federal funds, including a $5.5 million transportation enhancement grant.
“We’re on our way,” he said. “I can’t say too much about the project, but today was big.”
|
|
|
Post by Electric Thunderbird on Apr 11, 2006 7:58:20 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by Starbucks Queen on Apr 11, 2006 10:14:50 GMT -8
Kalakala earns its place on U.S. historic register
PAUL SAND; The News Tribune Published: April 11th, 2006 01:00 AM
The rusty and once-renowned Kalakala, an art deco ferry moored in Tacoma’s Hylebos Waterway, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, a Washington historic preservation official said. In a letter dated April 6, state historic preservation officer Allyson Brooks writes that the ship “is historically significant as a unique, a one of a kind, a ‘concept’ vessel created in 1935. Its distinctive characteristics of the Art Deco period captured the imagination of a Depression-weary public.”
The designation means the Kalakala, which moved 100 million passengers between Seattle and Bremerton from 1935 to 1967, is eligible for federal grants. The ship’s owner, Steve Rodrigues, bought the 276-foot vessel at auction in 2003 and has docked it in Tacoma since September 2004.
“The Kalakala may now endure into another generation, and her awesome and significant history is now honored forever,” Rodrigues said in a press release. He’s transferred ownership of the vessel to The Kalakala Alliance Foundation, a nonprofit corporation that will oversee the ship’s restoration, according to the statement.
Rodrigues has said he hopes the ferry will one day serve as a teaching tool and a venue for weddings and other events. Restoration of the ship would cost $15 million, he has said.
Last fall, Rodrigues lobbied Tacoma’s Landmarks Preservation Commission to sponsor his application to have the boat placed on the state historic register. At that time, he told The News Tribune “Tacoma is the right community” for the Kalakala, and that “Tacoma has what Seattle does not.” In January, the city’s preservation commission recommended his application and state historic preservation officials voted to place the ferry on its list of historic places.
However, the Kalakala might face an uncertain future in Tacoma. Rodrigues recently sent an e-mail to several preservation groups in Seattle asking their leaders to support bringing the Kalakala back to the city’s Colman Dock Pier 50 in the next three years.
In response to a question Monday night about the ferry’s future in Tacoma, Rodrigues wrote:
“We are home, and we have invested a lot of time master planning it. We will reveal the plans very soon. But we are focusing on the shipyard and painting her beauty first,”
Paul Sand: 253-597-8872
paul.sand@thenewstribune.com
|
|
SHipbuilders daughterwife
Guest
|
Post by SHipbuilders daughterwife on Apr 21, 2006 18:20:52 GMT -8
Didn't the Kalakala use to sail on the Port Angeles to Victoria run at one time? Before the Coho. I remember my Dad talking about her.
|
|