In every city's soggy shadows of October, there are shivers waiting to crawl up spines. Seattle, it seems, has its own peculiar, moist chill; dank enough to saturate even glossy Belltown. If you're looking to put a little spook into your backbone, sit in the dark and read this creepy snip from Ghost Stories from the Pacific Northwest -snip-
In 1903, E.R. Butterworth constructed a home for his mortuary business on First Avenue in Downtown Seattle. He had been in the funeral parlor business since 1892, and business was booming. The 5 story brick building which he constructed, was a showplace among funeral parlors. E.R. Butterworth is said to have coined the terms "mortician" and "mortuary." For 20 years, the Butterworth Building saw the citys deceased pass thru its doors. Then in 1923, the Butterworth family moved their firm to a Capital Hill location, but they seemed to have left a few of their customers behind. An electrician tried to rewire a chandelier one evening after midnight. After a while he realised that two shadowy men were sitting at one of the tables. The two got up and came over to help hold his ladder when he began to work on the tricky part of the wiring. The two men continued in their conversation, but the electrician being absorbed in his wiring, didn't pay attention to the men. Then a woman in an "unearthly white linen dress" entered the dining room. Then men stared at her and began to shout insults as she walked past. Then they began to shout insults at each other. The electrician began to realize that his "helpers" were not of this world. He raced from the cafe', leaving the work unfinished. He was reportidly found by cooks the next morning, sitting on a curb muttering that he couldn't take it anymore.
-unsnip-
The old Butterworth Building still stands at 1921 1st Ave -- here's a description from a recent attempt to sell it:
-snip-
Built in 1910, the Butterworth building is well-built and well-maintained. The property is approximately thirty feet wide and 110 feet deep, and is situated on 1st Avenue and Post Alley. The 1st Avenue facade of the building is three stories tall and there are five stories on the back of the building which face Pike Place Market. Post Alley angles down to the market and features a number of high quality restaurants. The Post Alley tenant of the Butterworth (and the adjacent building) is the Irish pub known as Kells, which has been located here for many years enjoying this prime location. The floor above Kells is accessible from the main foyer and has views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound. On the 1st Avenue side, the restaurant Fire and Ice is the main tenant. The restaurant is temporarily closed, but continues paying rent while searching for a buyer. Above the restaurant are two floors of office space. Heat is provided from a gas-fired hot water radiator system. The Butterworth Building is included in the National Historic Register and still retains its classic lines and architecture in the Foyer, main staircase, and on the Exterior.
-unsnip-
The salespitch makes no mention of the building's less-savory history or its spectral tennants rendering it all the more creepy in its exclusion of what could be considered mostly mundane details.
The restaurant mentioned above, Fire and Ice, is gone now, replaced by the recently opened Starlite Lounge. We had one meal at the Fire and Ice -- unfortunately, we were ignorant of the history at the time. Even without knowing the story, however, we noted a certain creepiness to the very soft, low lighting and the ivory white walls hung with a series of large mirrors. The evening we chose to dine there, every other table was empty. The reflections went on to infiniti and we whispered reflexively even though we knew we were alone.
I don't know if the Starlite's owners are aware of what happened there 100 years ago but we're hoping to stop by and visit the place with our new understanding. If we're ready (and eager, really) for the chill, it could be a welcome way to spend an October evening.
--j
Want more spooky stuff? Check out Evergreen Paranormal and this Metroblogging-Seattle stoked Live Journal thread about Seattle urban legends.
Tags: uptown, seattle, belltown, ghost, haunted, butterworthbuilding
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