The clock may be ticking for Seattle's oldest Irish hub, Murphy's Pub, as it teeters on the edge of potential demolition. For over four decades, this beloved watering hole has dished out more than just frothy brews—it's served as a community cornerstone at 1928 N. 45th St., Wallingford's go-to for everything from festive gatherings to quiet, heartfelt memorials. Murphy's faithful clientele have come to cherish this pub as more than a mere establishment, but as a testament to life's milestones.
"It is, to me, the most community oriented bar that I can think of in Seattle," regular Scott Tupper told KING5, underscoring the palpable fears of those who've come to simply know Murphy's as home away from home. The struggle to keep its doors open has been hard fought, with the establishment having withstood the economic blows of recessions and the dire straits of a global pandemic. Now, a formidable challenge looms, one that possibly threatens to not just upend this historic pub but to also disrupt the fabric of an entire community.
With Sunderland Corporation setting sights on a sale, the entire block that Murphy's calls home was put up for grabs just as March festivities were about to kick into high gear. Eamonn Davey, the co-owner hailing from Belfast, capturing the heartache of the moment, admitted to KING5 that, "We are a community and it will be devastating for this community if something like that were to happen."
The outcry was unanimous among the regulars at the bar, with sentiment echoing through every conversation. A standout voice in the crowd, Cathy Cortez, lamented fears about Seattle's changing landscape to KING5: "I think everyone in Seattle knows that we're losing our identity. We're losing out to the corporate world." The message was clear: Murphy's is not merely a pub; it embodies a slice of Seattle's soul, a piece of its identity worth shielding from the relentless march of development and corporate gain.
However, there may just be a glimmer of hope for Murphy's yet. The property owners, seemingly touched by the patrons' pleas, have offered to carve out an exception for the beloved pub. The rest of the block could witness the thunder of demolishing machinery, but Murphy's might be spared—granted, a substantial sum of $3.5 million can be raised to purchase the land it stands on. "I kind of just thought, 'Wow, that's a lot of money. How are we going to do this?' We need help," Chelley Bassett, co-owner alongside Davey, revealed to KING5.
