Hooverville harkens back to Seattle's past

Drive by quickly and you might miss it. Walk by and you might wonder, "Has this place been here forever and I'm just NOW noticing it?"

Hooverville, located adjacent to the Premier nightclub on First Avenue South, has many pondering its "run-down elegant" origins, say owners Billy Kincaid and Todd Gean.

"When you walk in, it might look like it's been here for years, but we actually built it all in three months," says Kincaid, who has a history of buying fixer-upper Seattle homes and offices and making them shine. "We knew we wanted to create an old hotel lobby-like feel, with antique chandeliers, wainscoting, pillars, columns, etcetera -- but we had to find the right space."

While pondering the First Avenue property, a friend reminded Kincaid and Gean about the Depression-era shantytown that once stood on the same ground. Just over 60 years ago, the area where the bar now stands was overrun with cardboard shacks and masses of unemployed Seattleites, but today it's on the upswing with Safeco Field just a couple of home runs away. And an idea was born.

Everything about Hooverville evokes those bygone times, from the bar's vintage sign and iron-clad windows to the black-and-white 1930s photos from the Museum of History and Industry. And the patrons are just as involved in creating the historic feel as the owners -- bringing in Herbert Hoover quotes to post on the walls and finding all kinds of Hoover-related memorabilia on eBay.

To hang out at this Seattle watering hole is to soak up a miniature history lesson whilst sipping down a beer or two (or slinging back one of the bar's popular Old Fashioneds or Manhattans). The bar features 16 taps, with two or three rotating drafts offering an eclectic mix of everything from Rainier and Pabst to local brews such as Manny's Pale Ale from Georgetown Brewery and Roger's Pilsner. Nearly 100 types of the hard stuff are also available including a handful of top shelf liquors like Johnny Walker Gold and Green (most bars just have Red and Black).

Much like the wide spectrum of libations, Hooverville's clientele is also all across the board-in a good way. You'll find construction workers sitting side-by-side with Starbucks execs and design firm folks.

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LORI HINTON

Owner Billy Kincaid pulls a pint from what is made to look like a vintage tap system.

"It's a local, very social neighborhood hangout-real laid-back," says Kincaid. "Here, you're not forced to wear a tie or order a blue martini."

But if you want to do either of those things, that's cool, too. And if you're hungry, you can grab a quick bite of what Kincaid calls "good, cheap, blue collar food" for just $3.50. Typical offerings include a soup and sandwich of the day such as hot dogs with chili on weekends and toasted cheese sandwiches with tomato soup on an average weekday.

Rumor has it that Hooverville will eventually feature live music such as acoustic guitar or jazz-tunes mellow enough to still allow socializing. But for now, if you're looking for a little more action, just wander to the back of the bar for a game of Ms. Pac-Man, Asteroids or pinball. But history-lovers will want to do nothing more than take in the décor and let Kincaid pour. Hooverville patrons quickly learn to appreciate the fact that shantytowns are a thing of the past.

"Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the world," Herbert Hoover once said.

And blessed are we Seattleites, to inherit this quasi-historic little haunt.

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