Council President Sally J. Clark
Councilmember Tim Burgess
Councilmember Jean Godden
Seattle City Councilmembers Clark, Burgess and Godden nominate PI Globe as official landmark
Hearst Corporation donates Globe to Museum of History & Industry
SEATTLE – Seattle City Councilmembers Sally J. Clark, Jean Godden and Tim Burgess, Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) Executive Director Leonard Garfield, and the Hearst Corporation today announced plans to forever keep the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Globe in Seattle as a recognized historic landmark.
When the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (PI) newspaper announced its decision to stop the presses and move to an internet-only format in 2009, the three Councilmembers, all former journalists, began working with representatives of Hearst Corporation, MOHAI and the staff of the Landmarks Preservation Board to make sure that the Globe would continue to stay in Seattle as a beloved icon.
Council President Sally J. Clark said, "The PI Globe is like an old friend. Seeing it atop the PI Building not only makes us smile, it also serves as a reminder of the important role that the Post-Intelligencer has played in the history of Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region."
The Globe has been a fixture on Seattle’s waterfront on top of the PI Building since it was moved from its original location at Sixth and Wall in 1986. Hearst Corporation, which owns both the Globe and seattlepi.com, moved most of the pi.com operations to another building last year and does not plan to maintain a long-term presence in the PI Building.
In a letter to Councilmembers Clark, Godden and Burgess, Mark Aldam, president of Hearst Newspapers, thanked the Councilmembers and MOHAI for their work to honor the Globe and celebrated this historic moment in its existence.
"Following the designation of the Globe as a City of Seattle landmark, Hearst will donate the Globe to MOHAI, and MOHAI and the City of Seattle will together work to identify a suitable new home for it," Aldam said. "Hearst is deeply grateful for your dedicated efforts on behalf of the Globe and all it represents, and for the willingness of MOHAI to accept the important role as its new steward."
MOHAI is making plans to refurbish the Globe and to find a new permanent location for it to reside. The Globe will be taken to a temporary storage site for cleaning and maintenance, likely sometime later in 2012.
MOHAI’s Executive Director, Leonard Garfield, announced that a campaign will soon be launched to find a new home for the Globe and to fund its restoration and provide for its long-term care. He said, "We thank Hearst for its generous and thoughtful gift. The Globe is one of Seattle’s signature icons and we are thrilled that our community will continue to enjoy the Globe for many years to come. We are honored to become the steward of this cherished symbol of Seattle’s journalism and our local history."
The City of Seattle is working with MOHAI and Hearst during the transition of ownership, and is in discussions with MOHAI to the Globe to be stored in a former airplane hangar at Magnuson Park during its restoration.
"MOHAI is the perfect caretaker for this historic Seattle icon," said Councilmember Tim Burgess. "We will continue to work with Hearst and the museum to find a permanent home for this landmark. It will forever be a reminder of the importance of a free and independent press."
This afternoon the Globe will be nominated for recognition as a landmark. Historian Mimi Sheridan will make the presentation to the Landmarks Preservation Board on behalf of the Councilmembers. The meeting will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the Seattle Municipal Tower, Room 4060.
"This is truly a great day for the citizens of Seattle. Today we’re not only honoring the iconic globe but also decades of high-caliber journalism. For more than 100 years the P-I has been a trusted source of news and chronicler of life here in the Northwest. On behalf of my colleagues on the Council and the citizens of Seattle I want to say thank you to Hearst Corporation and MOHAI for preserving this wonderful gift to our community," said Councilmember Jean Godden, who worked for the Post-Intelligencer as a reporter and columnist.
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