The Cylcops'
Cafe has quite a past. We've been around for __ years and moved locations.
Cyclops now resides in the Hotel Latona building, which used to be the
Peniel Mission (now known as City Team Ministries).
The following history is written by Cynthia Rose of the Seattle
Times.
It's unlikely many remember the Hotel Latona. But the bohemian Cyclops
gained a national reputation. It grew out of a Western Avenue cafe, the
Free Mars, which was established in 1985. The restaurant was housed in
another vintage building, the Niles, a 1909 rooming house later used as
artist hous- ing. In 1992, the building became notable when artist Diane
Sukovathy covered its walls with Jell-O molds.
By then, the Mars had become the Cyclops Cafe - run by artists Gina Kaukola and John Hawkley. The couple made it into a Belltown landmark, a hangout favored by grunge stars, painters, writers, actors and visitors. The Cyclops had a three-dimensional eye above its door, which - along with Sukovathy's Jell-O molds - started appearing in films, on television and on the Internet.
Neighborhood development, however, spelled the doom of both. On April 27, 1997, the Cyclops' owners literally clamped its huge eye shut. Soon after, the Niles was demolished - to make way for Harbor Properties' Site 17 complex. Few Cyclops regulars were consoled by its Tully's Coffee shop. For them, the cafe had been an alternative living room.
Back in the neighborhood, Hawkley and Kaukola were both exhausted and saddened. Their next year was rough, as they searched - in vain - for premises. Now, having found a place so near their former home, they seem as giddy and excited as teenage sweethearts. "We're back," beams Kaukola, "and in a beautiful building." Adds Hawkley, with a sweeping gesture around the premises, "and we have twice the space we had before - in addition to a wonderful kitchen."
The new space is indeed extensive: one huge, U-shaped room. But, even more than the old hotel, it's in almost derelict shape. Beams, lath and ancient linoleum stand exposed and ratty; doors lean against the walls and air masks dangle from random nails. Still, what seems like chaos is actually controlled. Off the kitchen, in the old hotel office, sit the detailed master plans for a brand-new Cyclops. Former staffers have been dropping by to see them but, says Kaukola, Cyclops II isn't Cyclops I.
"Last time, we inherited quite a lot of our decoration. This time, we've been able to design the place from scratch." Fans, however, can look out for the "Love Seat," a capacious circular couch - or the guardian Virgin of Guadalupe. Both were beloved fixtures in the original Cyclops, but they will be incorporated in a fresh aesthetic. Kaukola is keeping most of it secret, but says she is ditching "the '50s diner thing." As for the Jell-O molds? No-one is planning for any...The Cyclops' interior will still boast Belltown funk.
(Read entire original article).
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