An unlovely landmark

An idea has been now floated to save the Alaskan Way Viaduct by having it declared a historic landmark. It's a nutty idea.

The motive for doing this is not historical preservation. It is to block both the tunnel and rebuild options in favor of a plan to shore up the viaduct with steel. We have heard this rebuild plan, and it has its points, but invoking the historical-preservation law is not the way to reach a decision about it. Under that law, the Seattle Landmarks Board can declare just about anything a landmark, ugly or beautiful, providing it is at least 25 years old. That doesn't necessarily save the thing; if it is a threat to public safety, it may be torn down. And the viaduct is a threat to public safety.

The landmarks law was created to save worthwhile historic relics like the Fremont Bridge or the King Street Station. The viaduct is no such relic. It is not a monument to some great architect. It does not uplift the human spirit. It is a road on legs.

As Seattle Councilwoman Jean Godden says, declaring it a historic landmark "is like declaring the grain elevator a historic landmark." Or the sea wall. Or the sewers.