#2665 #S1292 - Good Bar, Seattle - 12/1/2014

"Good Bar," in the historic Furuya Building, Seattle

You had me at Sloppy Joe. But in addition to their upgraded take on that school lunch favorite, some folks from Marination Mai Kai serve a very nice selection of craft cocktails from a historic building in Pioneer Square, remodeled in fine congress with that history. The stone building know as the Pacific Commerical Building or Furuya Building was constructed in 1899-1990 and first housed the Seattle substation of the Snoqualmie Falls Power Company. Soon after that it housed the main store of the M. Furuya Company, "the largest Japanese-owned commercial enterprise on the Pacific coast." It grew from two to five stories in 1905, and in 1907 hosted the Japanese Commercial Bank, later to evolve  into the Pacific Commercial Bank.

Furuyama's businesses collapses in the wake if the Great Depression, with the Pacific Commercial Bank folding in 1931. The retail business was susequently reorganized under the ownership of some employees, who moved it 1941 just before losing the business entirely a year later as they were forced into the infamous internment camps.

The top two floors, lost in the 1949 earthquake, were restored in 2013. The Good Bar owners have preserved the old vaults and much of the decor, adding a white marble bar and small kitchen that serves patrons on the ground floor and a surrounding balcony above. The have a television tucked away for some sort of special occasions, but I have never seen it on. Why they chose a name bound to confuse people is not clear to me, but my cocktails were first rate and the Sloppy Joe lived up to its reputation --  highly recommended if you go.

240 Second Avenue S., Seattle, WA - 206-624-2337
Est. Nov 22, 2014 - Building constructed: 1900
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: goodbarseattle.com - facebook
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