Nine years after a city preservation board designated Hat ‘n’ Boots a historic landmark, the kitschy Georgetown sculpture inched closer to official landmark status this week with a Seattle City Council committee vote.

The move was basically an approval of the board’s 2002 decision and outlined rules for preserving the structure.

“There always seems to be a lot of love for Hat ‘n’ Boots,” Beth Chave, coordinator of the Landmarks Preservation Board, said at a briefing before the Built Environment Committee.

Built in 1954, Hat ‘n’ Boots is Seattle’s only remaining example of roadside architecture and one of the few in the state, the city said. Originally envisioned as part of a large, Western-themed shopping complex (which never fully materialized), the structure began as a gas station called “Premium Tex” on Highway 99.

The orange hat rose 19 feet high, had a brim span of 44 feet, and housed an office. The boots housed men’s and women’s bathrooms (“cowboys” and “cowgirls,” of course). Attendants wore cowboy outfits.

“The whole structure is a huge celebration of American icons – cowboy gear – and a pop sculpture worthy of (sculptor) Claes Oldenburg at his best,” Fair Lanes, a Ford Motor Co. magazine, said in the late 80s. The magazine included Hat ‘n’ Boots among its list of “America’s greatest roadside attractions.”

But the station closed in 1988. It then withered from decay on the polluted East Marginal Way South site for decades, until the Georgetown Community Council raised funds to help restore and move the structure. Chave said turnover on the council, which owns the structure, had delayed the landmark designation process.

In 2003, Hat ‘n’ Boots was moved to the neighborhood’s Oxbow Park. Boots was restored to its original blue-and-orange glory in 2005. But Hat remained a wire skeleton for years, after skateboarders cracked its brim, forcing removal of the plaster. It wasn’t until last summer when Hat was restored to its vermillion glory.









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Photo: City of Seattle Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Image 2 of 17 Hat 'n' Boots on East Marginal Way South in an undated picture. Hat 'n' Boots on East Marginal Way South in an undated picture. Photo: Dan DeLong / Seattle Post-Intelligencer Image 3 of 17 Hat 'n' Boots as seen on its old, polluted East Marginal Way South in an undated photo. Hat 'n' Boots as seen on its old, polluted East Marginal Way South in an undated photo. Photo: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Image 4 of 17 John Stellman removes plaster from Hat 'n' Boots on June 27, 2001. John Stellman removes plaster from Hat 'n' Boots on June 27, 2001. Photo: Phil H. Webber Image 5 of 17 Image 6 of 17 Workmen dismantle Hat before its move to Oxbow Park in Georgetown on Feb. 27, 2003. Workmen dismantle Hat before its move to Oxbow Park in Georgetown on Feb. 27, 2003. Photo: Loren Callahan / Seattle Post-Intelligencer Image 7 of 17 A tractor trailer moves "Boots" on December 12, 2003 to Oxbow Park. A tractor trailer moves "Boots" on December 12, 2003 to Oxbow Park. Photo: Joshua Trujillo / SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER Image 8 of 17 Hayden Sundstrom, 5, and sister Allegra, 7, pretend to guide a tractor trailer holding the metal skeleton of "Hat" on West Marginal Way on December 12, 2003. Hayden Sundstrom, 5, and sister Allegra, 7, pretend to guide a tractor trailer holding the metal skeleton of "Hat" on West Marginal Way on December 12, 2003. Photo: Joshua Trujillo / SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER Image 9 of 17 Mike Hougardy secures the 110,000-pound "Boots" on a flatbed on West Marginal Way South on Dec. 12, 2003 for the structure's relocation. Mike Hougardy secures the 110,000-pound "Boots" on a flatbed on West Marginal Way South on Dec. 12, 2003 for the structure's relocation. Photo: Joshua Trujillo / SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER Image 10 of 17 Image 11 of 17 Hat 'n' Boots gets painted in its original colors by by Bob Phinney in Oxbow Park on July 29, 2005. Hat 'n' Boots gets painted in its original colors by by Bob Phinney in Oxbow Park on July 29, 2005. Photo: Karen Ducey / Seattle Post-Intelligencer Image 12 of 17 Robin Tomazic, 32, and Dan Kohrmann, 31, get married under Hat 'n' Boots in Oxbow Park on July 16, 2005. Robin Tomazic, 32, and Dan Kohrmann, 31, get married under Hat 'n' Boots in Oxbow Park on July 16, 2005. Photo: Karen Ducey / SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER Image 13 of 17 Hat n' Boots at Oxbow Park in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood on December 17, 2007. Hat n' Boots at Oxbow Park in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood on December 17, 2007. Photo: Dan DeLong / Seattle Post-Intelligencer Image 14 of 17 Boots at Oxbow Park, at 6430 Corson Ave. S. The boots originally housed bathrooms. Boots at Oxbow Park, at 6430 Corson Ave. S. The boots originally housed bathrooms. Image 15 of 17 Image 16 of 17 A photo of the structure at Oxbow Park, after its full restoration, in July of 2010. A photo of the structure at Oxbow Park, after its full restoration, in July of 2010. Photo: City of Seattle Image 17 of 17 Hat 'n' Boots moves toward official landmark status, finally 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

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