SEATTLE — Amazon is asking for landmark status for the iconic Elephant Car Wash sign that was donated to the company in 2020 after being removed from its original location along Denny Way.
The sign, which is currently undergoing restoration, will be reinstalled "at an associated site in close proximity to the original location," according to a report from the Landmarks Preservation Board.
The sign is one of two that was removed from the former site of the Elephant Car Wash next to Denny Way. The other, considered to be the more iconic of the two, was relocated to the Museum of History and Industry.
In October of 2020, Elephant Car Wash announced it would close, citing increasing crime, drug activity, homelessness and the increasing cost to do business in Seattle.
In a statement, the company said that "we have determined that it is impossible for a small, minimum wage-based business such as ours to successfully operate within Seattle, even one that [has] been established since 1956."
"We thank the people of Seattle for embracing the Elephant Super Car Wash - it has truly been an honor being a part of Seattle’s history for over 60 years," the statement read.
Before the signs were removed, Friends of Historic Belltown asked Seattle to study whether at least one of the signs, which were in place for more than 60 years, could remain at the original location and asked for landmark status.
Since then, a company has proposed building a 45-story building on the currently barren concrete slab located a few blocks from the Space Needle.