Seattle removing Gas Works Park tower ladders after fatal falls
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The industrial towers at Gas Works Park date to the early 1900s. Photo: Melissa Santos/Axios
Demolition is underway at Gas Works Park to remove ladders and platforms from the historic gas towers there — an effort by Seattle officials to prevent more climbing injuries and deaths.
The big picture: Three people have died falling from the towers since 2008, while others have been seriously injured, according to the city parks department.
One of the people who died was Ballard High School student Mattheis Johnson, 15, who fell after climbing the towers last July.
Catch up quick: Removing the towers' pedestrian access points was a topic of debate for months — one that at times pitted historic preservation against public safety.
- The city's Landmarks Preservation Board rejected multiple proposals from the parks department to remove ladders and catwalks from the towers, which are remnants of a former coal gasification plant on Lake Union.
Yes, but: The city's Department of Construction and Inspections overrode the landmarks board's authority earlier this year, labeling the tower ladders, catwalks and platforms a hazard that must be removed for public safety.
- The department's order requires the safety issues to be resolved by May 15.
- Demolition work began April 22.
State of play: Crews are removing catwalks and ladders from the lower parts of the gasification towers, along with some piping that extends outside a perimeter fence.
- Some of the catwalks higher up on the towers will stay, according to the demolition plans.
- The towers themselves are to remain intact.
"We recognize that Gas Works Park is not only a popular public space but also a designated landmark," Bryan Stevens, a spokesperson for the Department of Construction and Inspections, told Axios. "In situations like this, safety and historic preservation must both be considered."
Between the lines: People have continued to trespass and climb the towers even after the city set up fencing, signs and additional monitoring to try to prevent it, parks department spokesperson Christina Hirsch wrote in an email to Axios.
- An independent analysis found many of the catwalks, ladders and access points "lack structural integrity," making them "a danger to trespassers and parks maintenance staff."
Context: The group Historic Seattle opposed the removal of the catwalks.
- In a January blog post, the group described the catwalks, ladders and platforms as "character defining elements attached to the steel towers which help to convey the history of the gas works."
- The organization didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday.