Lumber Yard Bar in White Center Finds a New Location Weeks After Fire | Eater Seattle

"I learned that the neighborhood’s first gay bar — which opened in January 2018 — had its building destroyed by a two-alarm fire in the early hours of July 5, and co-owner Nathan Adams says they’ve already found a new location just across the street at 9630 16th Avenue SW and hope to reopen in six to nine months. Investigators believe the blaze started at the Lumber Yard and it damaged several neighboring businesses; while authorities initially classified the incident as an accident, the King County Sheriff’s Department later opened an arson investigation. The Lumber Yard posted on Facebook that the incident was most likely a hate crime: co-owner Michale Farrar pointed to a break-in a month earlier and “anti-gay tags” on the windows in the week leading up to the fire. A $10,000 reward has been offered for information, and the White Center community quickly rallied — White Center Pride’s GoFundMe reached its $100,000 goal and nearby events and fundraisers have been organized to support employees and recovery." - Gabe Guarente