A Seattle landmark: What's up with the P-I globe?

There's one thing on Seattle's waterfront hasn't changed in decades. And, probably, it's not going to change anytime soon either.

We're talking, of course, about the P-I globe, which still sits atop the building at 101 Elliott Avenue West, quietly spinning (actually, not spinning anymore) along the Seattle skyline. It's stayed there, reminding residents of the city -- long after the paper itself had gone online only and moved buildings -- that "It's in the P-I."

Its 13 1/2-ton neon structure has three primary parts: The globe itself; an eagle, also outlined in neon, on top; and a banner that revolves around the globe. And though it may seem like a classic now, it was not always there.

The globe wasn't even part of the original design for the P-I headquarters (then at 6th and Wall). Once the building was done being constructed in 1947, people noted that the prominent circular entry pavilion's flat roof made it perfect for some sort of emblem.

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And so, the P-I held a contest soliciting suggestions for the façade, with five judges (and three prominent architects, Henry Bittman, George W. Soddard, and Lance Gowen) deciding the winning submission.

Though many of the details of the contest have been lost, here's what we do know: Among the nearly 350 entrants was one from University of Washington art student and ex-G.I. Jack (also known as Jakk) C. Corsaw. His concept was a curved map of the world, with glowing lines of light connecting Seattle to wherever important news was happening along the map. It was the unanimous choice of the five judges.

He collected his $500 of prize money, and the members of the P-I art department got to refashioning his idea into a globe, adding the eagle and slogan. The whole thing cost about $25,000 to build, which George Comstock, president of the company that designed the neon work, called "the most complicated sign in the West...by far the most spectacular sign in the Northwest and one that is sure to become a Seattle landmark."

By November 9, 1948, the globe was atop the building.

RELATED: Then and now: The old P-I building

It stayed there until 1985, when it followed the paper to a much smaller office on Elliott Avenue. And that's where it remains, even though the P-I has long since sold that building, relocated, downsized, ceased printing, and settled a few blocks away.

Though 2009 brought a lot of change to the paper, many in the Seattle community lobbied for the globe to stay the same.

In 2012, the Landmarks Preservation Board designated the globe a landmark. Between then and 2015, the city of Seattle worked with the the Hearst Corporation (which owns SeattlePI.com) to develop a plan for preservation. In 2015, then-Mayor Ed Murray signed an ordinance deeming the globe a city landmark.

RELATED: The early history of the SeattlePI

But where exactly the globe lives was still being sorted out at the time -- and, indeed, still is today.

The Museum of History and Industry forged an agreement to save the iconic P-I globe around the same time it got confirmed as a landmark, but couldn't figure out where to put it.

"We don't want to take it off its current location without a place to set it down and as quickly as possible put it up on a new location," Leonard Garfield, executive director of MOHAI, said in 2014, two years after reaching an initial agreement with Hearst. "When it goes off that building, it won't be out of the public view for long."

Once a new place is found, it will take about six months and about $500,000 to move and refurbish.

Until then, you can expect that the globe will be staying right where it is, along Seattle's iconic -- and ever-shifting -- skyline.

This article was first published on Dec. 5, 2018.