The Hearst Corporation, owners of the Seattle Post-Intellingencer, announced today that it will give the iconic Seattle P-I globe to the Museum of History & Industry and the city of Seattle.
Seattle city councilmembers Sally J. Clark, Jean Godden and Tim Burgess said in a press release that MOHAI would take the globe down from its perch atop the old P-I building on Elliott Avenue West sometime this year, refurbish it and then put it up somewhere else.
The proposal will go before the city's Landmarks Preservation Board this afternoon.
“MOHAI is the perfect caretaker for this historic Seattle icon,” said Burgess. “We will continue to work with Hearst and the museum to find a permanent home for this landmark. It will forever be a reminder of the importance of a free and independent press.”
When the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper announced its decision to stop the presses and move to an internet-only format in 2009, the three Councilmembers, all former journalists, began working with representatives of Hearst Corporation, MOHAI and the staff of the Landmarks Preservation Board to make sure that the Globe would continue to stay in Seattle, the press release said.
“Following the designation of the Globe as a City of Seattle landmark, Hearst will donate the Globe to MOHAI, and MOHAI and the City of Seattle will together work to identify a suitable new home for it,” Mark Aldam, president of Hearst Newspapers, said. “Hearst is deeply grateful for your dedicated efforts on behalf of the Globe and all it represents, and for the willingness of MOHAI to accept the important role as its new steward.”
The Globe has been a fixture on Seattle’s waterfront on top of the PI Building since it was moved from its original location at Sixth and Wall in 1986. Hearst Corporation, which owns both the Globe and seattlepi.com, moved most of the pi.com operations to another building last year and does not plan to maintain a long-term presence in the PI Building.
