KEXP joining Chihuly at Seattle Center

Mayor Mike McGinn announced Wednesday that Seattle Center will accommodate both KEXP and a Space Needle-owned Chihuly exhibit, after the two businesses had vied for the same spot in a tug-of-war pitting art lovers against indie rockers, and open space against needed revenue.

McGinn said the popular alternative radio station will occupy space in the Northwest Rooms. The plan calls for KEXP to transform the buildings with glass walls that allow people to watch DJs and studio performances, and in a way that connects the campus to lower Queen Anne.

"We've listened, and we've worked hard to bring forward a set of proposals to make Seattle Center more vibrant, more kid-friendly and more financially stable," McGinn said in a statement.

In September, a Seattle Center panel recommended Chihuly over KEXP, saying the proposed glass house met required criteria for public benefit, financial readiness, and contribution to campus vision. The paid-entry exhibit is predicted to bring 400,000 visitors and $1.1 million in city revenue a year.

The panel found KEXP to be a weaker financial contender. The station had proposed moving its operations to the Center and putting on free concerts. But the panel said the station would be a positive addition in a different spot.

Seattle Center director Robert Nellams said KEXP will pay $300,000 a year in rent or in-kind contributions, which include promoting Seattle in on-air spots. The station also plans to partner with Seattle Public Library to make music more accessible, and with Seattle Public Schools to offer student internships.

"KEXP represents so much of Seattle's spirit in the same way that the Wright family and the Space Needle represents Seattle," McGinn said, who called the station "very, very cool." The Wrights own the Space Needle.

In addition to building glass walls in the Northwest Rooms, KEXP will also create an outdoor stage to present hundreds of free concerts.

Both McGinn and Seattle Councilmember Sally Bagshaw officially endorsed the Chihuly exhibit, which comes with a $2 million commitment from the Wrights for a new playground at the Center. The playground will occupy the northern Fun Forest site.

McGinn also announced a new task force to more thoroughly develop the north Fun Forest site as open space. The task force will also develop a plan to raise $5 million to tear down the southern wall of Memorial Stadium, he said.

"My mission is to make sure they're lots of happy people here," he said.

In reviewing KEXP's proposal for the Fun Forest site, the Seattle Center panel had raised questions about the station's fund-raising ability. It noted the station had no organizational history of raising the type of capital campaign needed for that project, and said it was "not clear" KEXP had the "financial wherewithal" to sustain rent.

On Wednesday, KEXP's executive director Tom Mara did not immediately know how much money the station needed to raise to move into the Northwest Rooms.