Today, Monday, June 7 Seattle Center released a list of proposed project bids for the south portion of the Fun Forest site, part of the ongoing discussion over what should replace the Fun Forest carnival rides, which have been part of the Seattle Center campus since the 1962 World’s Fair.
Back in March the Space Needle proposed to redevelop the area into a 44,000 square-foot glass house with Dale Chihuly exhibit space and public garden, which sparked a debate among community members both for and against. Ultimately the Center decided to ask the public for more alternative bids, receiving eight additional proposals by the due date last Friday, June 4.
One of the bidders, the Northwest Native Cultural Center Initiative, would like to use to space to build a cultural center for the First Peoples of Seattle in the pavilion and surrounding garden. From our news partner, The Seattle Times:
The group proposing a Native cultural center wrote in a news release that its proposal would fix a “glaring oversight” in Seattle — the lack of a prominent place to honor Indian culture.
Roger Fernandes, a Native American artist and storyteller, notes that Seattle Center site was once an Indian gathering place and duck-hunting ground. The group proposes a free, indoor-outdoor exhibit space with exhibits and walking tours.
Other proposals include a Seattle Museum of Mysteries, the building of “Center Park,” a bid from non-profit radio station KEXP to relocate its studio to the site and landscape open space, and a suggestion by the company that owns the Fun Forest rides to put them back into operation.
The Center, however, did not release the full project proposals for all nine bids, opting instead to only publish the project names and a brief one-sentence description. You can view the full list here (.pdf).
According to the Times, a selection committee will be tasked with deciding which proposal will be “the best fit for the Center.” Seattle Center Director Robert Nellams will then make a recommendation to Mayor McGinn and the Seattle City Council.