Eyesore finally meets its demise
Published 10:46 pm Tuesday, September 18, 2007
EVERETT — The Topper Motel, this city’s 1950s icon-turned-eyesore, began its final descent into oblivion this week.
“By Friday, most of that motel will be sitting on the ground,” said Greg Holmes, who is overseeing the motel’s demolition crew. “They’ll really get crunching here pretty soon.”
But what will happen to the landmark sign that has stood sentinel on the north end of Broadway for decades?
The 30-foot sign, a way-finding relic commandeered by pigeons, also will be torn down. In coming weeks, crews likely will use cutting torches to sever the sign from its base.
It will be gently cradled to the ground then it will be cut into pieces.
It’s an ignominious end for a drive-up motel that once was a haven for weary travelers in the golden age of the automobile.
More recently, it was year-round cheap housing for the poor and disabled, and sometimes the site of police raids on drug dealers.
In 2005, the state revoked the motel’s license and the city moved to shut it down amid dangerous and unsanitary conditions that threatened the health of the people living there.
Bathrooms were black with mold, and floor trim was soaked with urine and water. Kitchen walls and appliances were smeared with rotten food. Owner Yoon Oh was at first hopeful he could afford to make repairs.
This March, Oh sold the building and land to Everett Community College for $1.6 million.
The building was a safety concern for students and staff, said Michael Kerns, college executive vice president. Even though the motel was closed, people were still cooking and squatting there, Kerns said.
Buying the land and demolishing the building makes the neighborhood safer, Kerns said, and will help with construction worker parking at the college. In about three or four years, the motel property will be paved for college parking.
In the meantime, there will be one less place for pigeons to perch. Within three weeks, any sign of the motel will be erased from the earth forever.
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
