SEATTLE — One of two Elephant Car Wash signs from the iconic business located on Denny Way is being donated to Amazon, the car wash company confirmed Thursday.
Amazon plans to restore the smaller sign to its original condition and place it on the company's South Lake Union campus "as a way to preserve this iconic piece of the neighborhood," said an Amazon spokesperson in a statement.
The more iconic sign visible from Denny Way is scheduled to be removed and relocated to the Museum of History and Industry.
In October, Elephant Car Wash announced it would close, citing increasing crime, drug activity, homelessness and the increasing cost to do business in Seattle.
The company said in a statement that "we have determined that it is impossible for a small, minimum wage-based business such as ours to successfully operate within Seattle, even one that [has] been established since 1956."
"We thank the people of Seattle for embracing the Elephant Super Car Wash - it has truly been an honor being a part of Seattle’s history for over 60 years," the statement continues.
There is an effort to preserve the larger pink elephant sign and keep it in its original location.
Friends of Historic Belltown is requesting that Seattle study whether the iconic Elephant Super Car Wash sign that has existed for 64 years can be kept in its original location, instead of moved to a museum.
"Friends of Historic Belltown asserts that the Elephant Car Wash sign exceeds the landmark designation thresholds," the group wrote in a letter to the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections.
The preservation group wants the sign to be nominated as a landmark to the Landmarks Board before the city issues a permit that would allow the sign to be moved to the Museum of History and Industry.