Community Post

Car Wash Calamity

I had the pleasure of passing this on my walk to the post office this afternoon:

That’s obviously the old Chester Dorsey self-serve car wash sold at foreclosure last summer and has been a vacant eyesore ever since. 

But lucky for you, even investment and for-sale properties are supposed to be kept free from graffiti. The only trick is that is may take some gentle reminders of the current owners and the city to make sure everyone knows it needs some attention.

0 thoughts on “Car Wash Calamity

  1. so we can report the lovely graffiti to the appropriate places/persons. Thanks.

  2. u need to recognize the difference between gang graff and artistic graff whats the big deal its abandoned let the kids express themselves u yuppies

  3. It is destruction of property plain and simple, and only assits in urban decay and adds to ugliness. Yup I must be a yuppie for wanting a beautiful city… It is not free speech either, it’s just disrespectful destruction. Taggers should have their hands cut off, or a quick jet of paint blasted in to their eyes, that would teach them that there is also ironic pain involved in their art so they can love it even more. Whatever.

  4. Once the graffitti is reported the owner has a set amount of days to remove it or face a fine levied per day. I would report it and make sure the city enforces their own ordinance!

  5. yeah, I’m not rich enough to be called a yuppie, but I know ugly when I see it.
    I’ll be making a phone call.

  6. Was this property sold or was only the 23rd/Madison property sold at foreclosure?

    Where is the next closest car wash?

  7. I agree. I liked getting my car washed regularly.

    The nearest one is now South on Rainier just across MLK on the west side of the street, near Franklin High School. The one advantage is that it is cheaper than this one.

  8. I believe there is a self-service car wash near that new light rail station at MLK & Rainier.

  9. I think it’s really abstractly beautiful, but it’s in the wrong place and some of it represents the wrong things. Time for channeling talent into some public art projects?

  10. Scott’s link goes to the City’s form – you can also call the Graffiti Report Line at (206) 684-7587.

  11. I love the colors and everything. And the chain link fence just makes it funny. I was actually hoping I could do a photo shoot here soon before they start clearing it up.

  12. …Chester Dorsey’s other location would be perfect for a Safeway gas station at 23rd & Madison. I was a customer ONE TIME. He was the rudest man I’ve met in ages.

  13. grafitti actually doesnt cause anybody any sort of pain so i dont know what ur talking about graffiti artists need to know the pain of their art…and also most of the people doing graffiti are teens. why do you want some teenagers hands to get cut off i think you have some problems much bigger than graffiti sir

  14. Ok honestly this is not hurting anyone… its not on a running business or a home, and for the people who say its ugly, i think giant billboards of half naked guys are ugly but for some reason thier still up with much less criticism. And by the way this is not “gang” graffiti, the people who write there are all just putting up thier own words (jeans,run,kato,ajar…)so just let it be until the new owner decides to change it

  15. I agree, ugly is ugly. Tag the horrible billboards first!:D
    Yes, I emailed the city about it. I have just as much right as the teens (bless their hearts, I get it) to my vision of what I want the neighborhood to look like.
    Actually, every time I pay my taxes (ouch, it’s expensive—and the same can be said of rent), I’m buying myself a stake in the community. Come on, kids—if you were paying that much to live somewhere, you’d want to have things your way too.