Mural unveiled at site of Greenwood arson

Cecilia Droker, 9, offered her review of the mural unveiled Thursday in front of the vacant site where the historic Eleanor Roosevelt Building stood in Seattle's Greenwood business district until it was destroyed by arson Oct. 23.

"I like the phoenix,... " the Daniel Bagley Elementary student said, referring to the gold and red centerpiece of plywood mural that features the mythical bird to symbolize rebirth.

Droker, who provided a detailed account of the story of the phoenix from a book she had read, was one of dozens of onlookers who gathered along North 85th Street, west of Greenwood Avenue North, to witness the first public display of the brightly colored urban art created with spray paint and acrylic by artists John Osgood, Kevin "Sensei23" Sullivan and Zachary Bohnenkamp.

Among those attending were firefighters from nearby Fire Station 21, the first responders to the fire.

Four businesses in the 1910-era building — Green Bean Coffee House, Szechuan Bistro, C.C. Teriyaki and Pho Tic Tac — were destroyed in the fire, one of 11 deliberately set blazes in Seattle and Shoreline between June and November. Ten of the fires occurred in the Greenwood neighborhood.

Police arrested Kevin Swalwell Nov. 13 and he has been charged with 11 counts of arson and one count of burglary in connection with the fires, which caused $3 million in damage and severely burned a 68-year-old man. Swalwell has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The four businesses had rented space from the adjacent Taproot Theatre playhouse, which was heavily damaged by smoke and water.

The playhouse is scheduled to reopen Jan. 29, with a production of "The Great Divorce," a theatrical adaptation of C.S. Lewis' fantastical novel.

Taproot paid for the mural's paint and plywood and the artists gave their time, said Scott Nolte, producing artistic director for the theater company.

"We wanted a Greenwood theme," Nolte said.

The 89-foot-long, 8-foot-high mural incorporates scenes of neighborhood icons, including the Greenwood Car Show and Greenwood-Phinney art walk, and tells the story of the arsons, including firefighters rescuing cats from Cat City, an animal shelter.

Two of the artists — Osgood and Sullivan — were on hand as black plastic tarp was removed from the mural.

"We're just trying to give the community something to look at," Osgood said.

Taproot hopes to expand into the vacant site when funding becomes available, but the next step might be a coffee shop that would partner with the theater, Nolte said.

Plans for the mural remain unclear when the site is restored.

Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this story.

Steve Miletich: 206-464-3302 or smiletich@seattletimes.com