Amazon to restore smaller Elephant Car Wash sign, display on Seattle campus

In a perhaps ironic effort to preserve some of old Seattle, Amazon has announced plans to restore the smaller Elephant Car Wash sign and display it on their South Lake Union campus.

An Amazon spokesperson told Geekwire that the smaller pink elephant sign was donated to the company by Elephant Car Wash owner Bob Haney. The Auburn-based car wash, which owns 14 car washes in the Puget Sound region, ceased operations at their downtown location in March due to the pandemic and permanently closed the location in early October.

The company cited nearby homelessness, drug activity and the city's "increasing, burdensome regulatory demands" as their reason for closing the downtown location.

Clise Properties, which owns the property on Battery Street and Denny Way, applied for a demolition permit for the structure in October. In the center of a neighborhood that has been engulfed by offices for thriving tech companies, the 19,000 square-foot lot is worth a staggering $1,050 per square foot, according to the Seattle Times.

Amazon said they will restore the sign to its original state and display it on their campus, although the exact location is still unknown.

This is not the first piece of Seattle history that the e-commerce giant has bought and displayed in what can either be seen as irony or nostalgia for the city in its pre-tech boom days. The company also owns the King Cat Theater sign which is housed in their Coral building.

The beloved pink elephant was built in 1956 by Beatrice Haverfield, dubbed the "Queen of Neon," who also created neon signs for Dick's Drive-In. The elephant is reportedly one of the most photographed landmarks in the city.

The larger sign, which sadly came down last week, is moving to the Museum of History and Industry, where it will join other relics of the Emerald City's past. The museum, which remains temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, also owns the P-I globe and the original Rainier "R" sign.

"We are excited to become the new stewards of the sign and continue the great work of the Elephant Car Wash team in preserving this irreplaceable part of our city’s heritage," said MOHAI Executive Director Leonard Garfield.

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