Re: “Fire at First Hill vacant building spreads to neighboring apartments” [Jan. 1, Local News]:
The Jan. 1 fire was more than just the loss of a vacant apartment building. It was the location of the shuttered Vito’s restaurant and cocktail lounge, a First Hill icon opened in 1953, a place to grab the ear of your favorite (or not) politician, or even a priest, and maybe run into your “Pill Hill” physician. For longtime residents, it is another sad goodbye to sites that are part of the memories that created the love affair we formed with this city we call home.
In 2022, The Seattle Times wrote that in its heyday, an article had said of Vito’s: “Here deals were struck, city issues negotiated, bets placed and settled.”
Former State Rep. Dawn Mason (37th Legislative District), Seattle