Another Seattle classic bites the dust: The beloved old-school spot is set to be razed for, of course, a new development. But the owners say they'll be back in the new building.
This one hurts: Prepare to say goodbye to the Spud Fish & Chips at Green Lake — at least in its current, beautifully old-school incarnation. The site of the summertime favorite has been sold, and plans are in place to demolish it for an apartment building with 59 units and retail on the ground floor, according to the Daily Journal of Commerce. The timing is, as of yet, uncertain.
Reached by phone, co-owner Craig Smith says he and his wife, Pam Cordova, do plan to reopen in the new building. “We’ll be right back in here,” Smith says.
The DJoC reports that the building — a marvelously midcentury, angled-roof take on a fish shack — dates to 1959, designed by architect Edward Cushman. Cushman is also responsible for the equally swell Alki location of Spud. (The Alki Spud is under separate ownership, by Ivar’s; the Edmonds and Juanita Beach editions of Spud operate under yet different ownership.)
The Green Lake Spud may not often be considered among Seattle’s greatest places for fish and chips, but it is good. It is greasy. It is a perfect spot to stop before, or after, or in the middle of, or instead of, a walk around the lake. The classic look of the place is indubitably part of its charm, and a re-installation in a new Seattle building is highly unlikely to equal that charm. But at least it’s coming back?