(WSB photos)
If you’ve crossed the West Seattle Bridge, you’ve seen the site that most know as “the old grain silos.” You might even know that part of the site is now Harbor Island Studios. Later this month, you have chances to go inside – not so much to see the studios as to see “History Comes Alive” – true stories, and performances related to them, as planned by Invisible Histories, a project of Cari Simson and Elke Hautala, whose podcasts unearth many such stories. Cari met us at the site on Thursday.
Until they set up for the performances and projections that will highlight the tours 6-10 pm on Thursday and Friday, April 23-24, it’s largely vast and empty inside:
But imagine learning stories including a rum-runner couple, a sabotaged munitions barge, Native life, the fight over where Seattle’s port would be centered … and more. That’s just part of what will be featured.
Guided group tours those two nights will take you back in time, immersively. You’ll meet historic figures as well as learning about historic places, from a segregated military facility to a chicken farm – all of which happened in the vicinity of Harbor Island (which is a human-made island, filling in tidelands).
The studios also contain items from their own recent history – props left behind by past productions, plus a costume shop, and memorabilia of some of what’s been filmed there.
And behind a closed door, there’s a film shoot happening there right now.
The tour will end outside, along the Duwamish River, with another tale from local history, Cari told us.
Once back in the lot, there’ll be reasons to hang out and enjoy the evening, including the Muy Macho food truck. There’ll also be a chance for you to share any Harbor Island history of your own, or your family, at a video booth that will be part of the event.
Cari says she and Elke are excited about the studios’ potential as a blank canvas, and hoping the stories and performances will captivate tour-takers. Find out more here; tickets and time windows are here.