SEATTLE — On Wednesday, the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board moved forward with a nomination to designate Bruce Lee's University District Dojo as a landmark. The board made clear this was not an approval because its members still had questions. However, Charlette LeFevre, president of the Seattle Bruce Lee Fan Club, said she is thrilled.
"I know it's a process and they want more information, but we're thrilled right now and we're very glad," LeFevre said. She started the application two years ago after the building was sold to a new owner. She was afraid he might demolish it.
At the meeting, LeFevre provided detailed pictures and information about Lee's Legacy at 4750 University Way. This location was the site of his third and most established dojo, the Seattle Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, and he also lived there.
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"We want to preserve Bruce Lee's third school. His first two schools in Chinatown were dirt floors in basements, but this was a real dojo he had, and that he taught in," Abe Santos, a man part of Lee's teaching lineage, said. "My teacher was Bruce Lee's best friend and highest-ranked student."
According to LeFevre and Santos, Lee spent a year at the University Way location before making his way to California, where he eventually found success in Hollywood. With Lee's blessing, the duo said his dojo, run by his students, went on for several years.
The Landmarks Preservation Board Member concerns centered around one big issue: what actually remains of Lee's dojo. Over the years, the ground floor location has been several stores. Currently, it's vacant.
The board has tasked LeFevre with finding people who can describe the studio with first-hand accounts. She also has to convince the current owner to allow a site inspection. That owner was not at the meeting but sent in a short statement asking the board to not move forward with the nomination. LeFevre said she's not deterred.
"There are all these little wonderful stories that we hope to document and preserve about Bruce Lee's beginnings here in Seattle," she said.
As of this article's publication, a timeline for when the Landmarks Preservation Board will hear this matter again has not been set.