SEATTLE - Is it art or is it a big fat nuisance? A former Seattle business that shutdown 3 years ago is now plastered with colorful graffiti. Nearby business owners are sick of looking at it, but, the building's owner has no plans to clean it up.
A jungle theme in the U-District is not something you see every day. Ever since graffiti artist "Joe" learned the old Tubs building at 47Th and Roosevelt was an open canvas he's been here.
"I love having this wall here whosoever building this is, thank you for letting me paint on it, I really love it," said Joe.
Tubs closed in 2007. The owners told neighbors they planned on selling it to make way for condos, but the bad economy scratched that. So, they decided to let graffiti artists have at it. Chris Brown works next door at University Volkswagen.
"It's free expression I guess and they've said they can use this building as a place for people to put this," said Brown.
Stephanie Ogle with Cinema Books says over the last year she's seen non-stop taggers too.
"It is getting pretty old for me, because this has been going on for months and months and months," said Ogle.
Neighboring businesses call the old Tubs building an eyesore because the graffiti covers not one side, but all four sides of the building. Sharon London who works on the block doesn't see it that way though.
"I think it's great I watch them change it all the time, I don't know how many layers are on there," said London.
Seattle's graffiti nuisance ordinance says property owners have to clean up graffiti within 10 days or face fines of up to $5,000. But, since these owners consider the graffiti on their building artwork the ordinance doesn't apply.
The City is considering making some changes to the graffiti law, but until "Joe" hears otherwise he says he'll keep using the walls as his canvas.
"I love it, it's really great to have it here," said Joe.
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