SEATTLE — Since 1978, 1400 Alaskan Way has been Ken Eubank’s second home. He’s owned and operated Seattle Antiques Market 41 years and counting. Most of that time was spent with an omnipresent neighbor: the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
“We were considered to be on the other side of the tracks. It looked spooky and scary. The only business we did was destination business,” Eubank said. “It was very noisy. It created a lot of dirt.”
Eubank learned to live with the constant noise from the double-decker highway carrying thousands of cars just feet from his business. He said he never noticed it until someone came into his store and pointed it out. That changed in 2019 when work began to tear down the Viaduct.
“I thought it was a great idea to get rid of it because it was in my way,” Eubank said. His issues with it, however, weren’t only related to business; he was at his store when the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake hit.
"It scared the hell out of me when it was rocking back and forth and I was standing on my dock trying to find a place to hide,” he said.
The earthquake left the viaduct cracking and crumbling. That’s what made it clear something had to be done. KING 5 chronicled the timeline of events that led to the start of the demolition on Feb. 15, 2019.
Five years later, Eubank is pleased with the new view from his store. His customer base has changed from those seeking out his shop to people casually walking over from the other side of the waterfront. Despite this, Eubank said he doesn’t want to stand in the way of progress.
"Yeah, there's some nostalgia here but it could be used for better purposes. There could be a beautiful condominium complex,” he said.
Eubank pointed out that his building is the only one with an unobstructed view of the Sound. If condos are built, Eubank said, don’t expect him to go anywhere.
"I'm planning on getting the top floor of the condominiums,” he said.
Work on the Waterfront Seattle Project is expected to be completed by 2025. You can see updates here.