The unsinkable Silver Slug
Some want to sink the Kalakala, the historic streamlined Seattle ferry that was once a local icon. But its owner has other ideas and hopes to discuss them with Obama.
Kalakala.org
It's never a good sign when someone suggests that a ship on the National Historic register would be better off as a sunken wreck, but that proposal was, uh, floated last month in Port Angeles. The vessel, it was suggested, would make a great man-made reef to entertain divers off Ediz Hook. The ship under discussion: the historic ferry Kalakala.
The bad news is that the idea was broached in a town that was touted as a Kalakala safe haven. The good news for preservationists is that the Department of Natural Resources quickly scuttled the proposal, at least for now, saying that sinking the Kalakala would not be good for the environment.
But according to the Peninsula Daily News, the concept was broached out of frustration by the folks who were being cultivated to support a scheme to save the ship. Late last month, the Kalakala's owner, Steve Rodrigues, met with Port Angeles leaders in what has been described as a "contentious" and "chaotic" meeting. Rodrigues has been trying to relocate the Kalakala from its current berth in Tacoma with the idea of mooring it on PA's waterfront and renovating it as a multi-purpose entertainment center.
The owner has not been able to put forward a plan for financing to get full community backing. Project estimates have been in the $15 million range, according to media accounts. Rodrigues says the Port Angeles meeting that went haywire was a "stunt" by opponents of the project who turned a private meeting into a public embarrassment. He says his plan, a private development project, is laid out on the Web for everyone to see.
Rodrigues, who bought the Kalakala in bankruptcy in 2003 for $136,560, came along as a kind of savior for the vessel when no one else wanted it or could come up with the cash to rescue it. It has been a maritime white elephant, bouncing from place to place, from Seattle to Neah Bay to Tacoma. The Kalakala, saved from an afterlife beached in Kodiak, Alaska, as a fish processor, has been back in Washington waiting for salvation for more than a decade now, and various owners and advocates have hoped to dock and restore it somewhere where it can be used, enjoyed, and preserved as the unique vessel it is, whether as a tourist attraction, conference center, restaurant, museum, or all of the above.
For his part, Rodrigues has hatched a plan for a "walk of hope" to Washington, D.C., to raise funds and awareness to save the vessel. He is also making a documentary about the boat, the walk, and maritime heritage here in the Northwest. He says the documentary will be titled Kalakala: Silence from the Shadows of Glory. The walk will be done in short segments in cities across the country. Rodrigues has already covered the Seattle downtown waterfront and plans to visit historic seaports and Art deco sites en route to the other Washington.
A key element of his "walk" is trying to enhance the Kalakala's federal recognition and protection. Already on the National Register, he applied in early February to have the boat declared a National Historic Site. He has asked for a meeting with President Obama to ask him to declare the Washington Street Public Boat Landing on the Seattle waterfront a National Monument. It rates, he says, because it is one of the few surviving places that embody much of the city's maritime, and ferry-related, history. It would also make a perfect place to moor the Kalakala, he believes. The Kalakala herself, he argues, has broad significance, not only as a unique ferry boat, but also for her role ferrying workers to and from the Bremerton shipyards during World War II. Even its years as a fish processor in Alaska link it with the region's fishing industry.
Rodrigues says the next 18 months will be a key fundraising period too, between a raffle and major auction (slated for 2011). Plus, he's planning a major bash for the Kalakala's 75th birthday in July. He hopes the "walk" and related activities will help his non-profit group raise significant funds to keep the Kalakala going. Rodrigues is anything but ready to commit the Kalakala to the deep by sinking it off Port Angeles or anywhere else. If the Port Angeles project works, fine, but down deep, most Kalakala fans would love to see it settled in Seattle where it was a fixture for many decades.
That said, there are preservationists worry about the fate of the vessel, and Rodrigues' handling of it. Rodrigues has proposed various schemes, including one a couple of years ago that involved saving the state's retired old steel-electric ferries (which divers, by the way, also wanted to sink). The idea involved his idea of re-launching them as a wind- and solar-driven fleet. Or turning them into ferry dock museums. The state wasn't interested and sold them for scrap.
The Kalakala feels similarly unmoored. Is it going to be a Seattle waterfront fixture, or a dining spot in Port Angeles? He once planned to turn it into a floating dinner theater that would sail between Seattle, Bremerton, Anacortes, the San Juans and Victoria, B.C. He told Tacoma that the the City of Destiny would be its permanent home, but later insisted it should be placed at Seattle Colman dock. According to the Seattle Times, Rodrigues has a history of proposing big ideas that never quite come off.
Joe Follansbee, who runs the maritime heritage website Fyddeye (and who has written for Crosscut), worries about his leadership: "Steve has trouble making long-term allies among folks he has to court, particularly elected and appointed officials and other influencers who can help him access money and punch through the spaghetti of laws, rules and regs he has to navigate...." Historic preservationist Art Skolnik, who also once worked to save the vessel, has the same concern. "He chases away more supporters than he attracts," Skolnik says. Follansbee adds that "[U]nless there’s a significant, even radical change in tone and approach, I'm not optimistic that Kalakalawill ultimately survive." He summarizes: "Right boat, but wrong leader."
The problem Rodrigues faces, or anyone who would replace him, is that saving the Kalakala and putting it to good use is an expensive, complicated proposition, and these challenges can prove fatal even with the best of intentions (see the Wawona). One of the intriguing things about the Kalakala is that as a Seattle icon, it ranks high. During the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, it was voted second-favorite attraction after the new Space Needle. Countless postcards and brochures have featured images of her. In the days before jetliners, the shiny Kalakala, really a re-fitted old San Francisco ferry, signaled that Seattle was forward-thinking about transportation, or at least design: who else had a ferry like a rocket ship?
But the future the Kalakala promised was quickly overtaken. Art Deco was never big in Seattle, a new modern sensibility took over after WWII, and she became anachronistic. While some saw her as a sleek beauty, others called her the "Silver Slug," laughed at her outdated profile, and failed to be charmed be her rattling ride. While pre-War Seattle might have been dazzled by the boat, afterwards the Kalakala was as relevant as a blimp, quirky but obsolete.
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Comments:
Posted Wed, Feb 10, 5:31 a.m. Inappropriate
A floating theatre? The Kalakala was a rattletrap, as Mossback infers, conversation was a challenge. Then again, if it were operational again on that basis it could only be after a total rebuild in any case. Considering how many people are either too young to know her or have moved here since her passage from the working fleet, it shouldn't be any surprise that she's failed to connect in a significant way. Perhaps the contemporary craze for zombies, since that's what she's become, is the only way to promote her.
The passing.of her and her sisters the Enetai, Illahee, et al is a big loss to the local Chinook cultural heritage, but as destinations lack glamour, being a working class mode of transport they were clean but spartan; they would require a lot of money to just stay in one place. Too bad no one from Bremerton was among the early retirees from Microsoft.
Posted Wed, Feb 10, 7:50 a.m. Inappropriate
Steve deserves credit for stepping in and buying the Kalakala when the only other bidder would have taken her to San Francisco where her hull originally came from.
While very little has been done physically, he did raise the level of her significants by getting the Kalakala on the National Register of Historic Places. And, most importantly, she's still afloat in Tacoma.
Yes, he needs help, or someone who would step in and take over the effort to raise funds and find a permanent moorage for her. Whether she is floating around the Sound and/or a static tourist and entertainment experience, this Landmark ferry boat, deserves a permanent place in our community.
So, don't dump on Steve for what he has done. Let's think positively about solving this dilemma.....quickly.
Arthur M. Skolnik FAIA
Posted Wed, Feb 10, 12:44 p.m. Inappropriate
What is it with pseudo-preservationists and dive parks? It seems that every time there's a historic ship in a bit of trouble, some jerk suggests sinking it for a dive park! This happened with Wawona. It's as if a neighbor told you to take your classic if scratched car and bury it in a cave so spelunkers can enjoy it. The idea is always insulting to the owner. No wonder Rodrigues went ballistic.
Posted Wed, Feb 10, 1:30 p.m. Inappropriate
"Where's Ivar when we need him?"
Keepin' clam, dude.
Posted Wed, Feb 10, 2:01 p.m. Inappropriate
Seattle seems heck-bent on leaving behind any vestige of its maritime past. Compared to the dollars required by some of the gigantic projects now proposed or underway around here, the money to save the Kalakala would just be a small drop in the bucket. Kalakala deserves better than the fate of the Wawona.
Posted Wed, Feb 10, 2:14 p.m. Inappropriate
In a region filled with unique museums, and several themed nautical, it is not that far fetched to seek the use of this ship, docked, as a Ferry Museum, perhaps either along the Seattle or Bremerton waterfront. As a working vessel, those are difficult to license, staff and make money with. Several local companies struggle hard just to manage that, as does the non profit and historic Virgina V.
To make her seaworthy enough to dock, and have guest on board would be challange enough, let along total renovation and cruising.
Tacoma has done a great job by bringing her historic fireboat ashore, but does not fully offer the rich history.
The city of Anacortes saved the Preston, spending $40,000 to prepare a waterfront site for the PRESTON beside its old Burlington Northern Railroad Depot. After being towed to Anacortes, the PRESTON was taken out of the water and on June 22, 1983, hauled overland to her new resting site.
Perhaps a site near the PSNS could be found to do similar, or in Eagle Harbor. Sadly, land along Seattle's waterfront is more expensive, but why not have her on display in Myrtle Edwards Park, or on pilings near the old Luna Park? Or as part of the ALki waterfront park closer to the old scrap metal yard near Spokane Street?
Yes, you loose the mobility, but it is easier to restore (and far less expensive) as a vessel out of water. And in many ways, offers far MORE options as an anchor for development. (pun intended)
Displays aboard the ship could then include the engine room, rudder and parts of the vessel not open to the public in a working ship. The upper decks could include displays, and large room for events.
The All or Nothing attitude (it MUST float, Run and be a moving vessel) will not bode well in the long run for funding and the ongoing maintainence required by an 80 year old plus vessel.
Park her, display her, and keep her polished. She was a major part of this area's history, and should remain so.
THis is the largest ferry system in North America, Touted as second largest in the world. A museum devoted to its history makes sense. A cruise tour ship does not.
Posted Wed, Feb 10, 3:11 p.m. Inappropriate
The image of the future are a bright, optimistic, virtuous place has been in decline since the 1970s. We've just lost the manned space program, which is a tragedy of epic proportions. It would be terrible to loose the Kalakala as well.
Posted Wed, Feb 10, 5:51 p.m. Inappropriate
Lost the manned space program, @dbreneman? Only the socialist MSP, the free market will no doubt step in to pick free up the slack as it so often does. Or have you joined those of us already in the socialist rank and file? Solidarity, comrade!
@RNewman, thank you. Your suggestion is so full of good sense that it has made my day. A varient of the Queen Mary solution could very well work given imagination and effort. Crossing fingers now.
Posted Thu, Feb 11, 10:54 a.m. Inappropriate
NickBob (and "@-@-@" to you, too), There are a few unambiguously virtuous things that enlightened societies do through their governments that are essential for the advancement of civilization. Exploration is one of them. Ultimately, humans must venture out of our solar system if our species is to survive. There's no disadvantage to starting that process before it's too late.
If you are so politically jaded that you see every government action as socialist and, therefore antithetical to a free market, there isn't space here to provide you with a reality-based political and economic cosmology.
Posted Thu, Feb 11, 7:14 p.m. Inappropriate
dbreneman--This is not at all a comment on the philosophy of free market vs socialism vs enlightenment--but let's keep our facts straight. Over the past two centuries, the vast majority of 'government sponsored exploration' has been totally chauvinistic. While 99% of all inventions have occurred in our lifetime, 99% of all exploration was done for the self-engrandizement and financial gain of either a government or private venture. According to your statement above, Nazi Germany and the former Soviet Union would be categorized as "enlightened societies."
Posted Thu, Feb 11, 7:15 p.m. Inappropriate
dbreneman, I'll FTP the ampersand since it bugs you, but perhaps I shouldn't not include the "/snark" (which I find an annoyance online) following sarcasm since that seems to have been missed. Perhaps I've misread your political complexion, but as self described democratic socialist, I'm very in favor of public involvement and investment in space exploration and exploitation- as well as health care, power generation and distribution, rapid transit, and a myraid other functions. All ribbing meant in a sporting fashion, and if misplaced, apologies offered.
Posted Fri, Feb 12, 8:48 a.m. Inappropriate
I'm having a hard time seeing what I've said that leads to this conclusion. Did either of those governments make great strides in exploration? The Soviet Union was mainly concerned with one-upping the Americans. The Nazis were mainly concerned with extending their empire. Both of those benighted regimes focused mainly in bringing other nations into their spheres of influence, and that certainly aligns well with your claim that "99% of all exploration was done for the self-engrandizement and financial gain of either a government or private venture." However, I think you're conflating modern (ie, post enlightenment) exploration for resources with millennia-old exploration of the type that populated Europe and Asia.
And, NickBob, I'm sorry that I was sarcastically-challenged when I read your remarks. I'm by and large a small-L libertarian, but I believe that there are places where strong government is essential, just not as many places as you do. And excuse me again, but to me, "FTP" is File Transfer Protocol. :-)
Posted Fri, Feb 12, 9:57 a.m. Inappropriate
-dbreneman, FTP is also a spellcheck insertion for a misspelling of "drop" in that note, overlooked by this sloppy writer prior to post, as the butler said in the Big Sleep, "I make many mistakes".
Small l libertarian, noted, a close friend shares that tag, white collar anarchists I calls ya. You can drink at my table, I hope you're buying though.
Posted Wed, Feb 17, 7:54 a.m. Inappropriate
I was happy to see the ugly heap leave Lake Union a few years ago. The boat has become an enormous eye sore. That may be too bad. Restoring it would seem to be a deep money pit.
Please don't bring the remains back to Seattle.
There are plenty of other sound investments in the City's maritime history.
Posted Fri, Mar 12, 9:50 a.m. Inappropriate
Just imagine how great it would look, parked between the Space Needle and the EMP, full of glass...
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