Madison Park’s Historic Dive, The Attic Alehouse, Closes After Many Decades

One longtime, neighborhood watering hole has met a sudden end. Madison Park’s Attic Alehouse — which has been around since the late ‘60s, with other iterations dating back even further than that — closed without much warning on February 2. Currently, there is a GoFundMe campaign to help support some of the Attic’s staff who are now without work. According to the campaign, “a local group is in current negotiations to take over the lease and reopen the Attic,” but securing a new liquor license can take months, besides other obstacles that crop up.

According to its website, the Attic started life as a shooting gallery in the early 20th century, before turning into a hybrid tavern-barbershop after the Korean War. The original structure was torn town in 1967, then slowly evolved into the divey sports bar many are more familiar with (an outdoor patio and a back deck were added in the ’90s). The Stranger has praised its low-key vibe that offered a “respite from the trendy bars in the area,” and even Zagat’s weighed in, noting there’s “less hooking up” and more “hanging out with friends” in the vaulted ceiling space, where the bartenders can get a little salty.

Hopefully, this won’t be the last we’ll hear from the Attic, if new efforts to reopen it prevail. As for the GoFundMe (launched by a bar regular and friend of the staff), it’s raised around $2,000 of its $10,000 goal. Eater Seattle also reached out to Attic ownership to get more details on the possible revival, but did not hear back before this piece was published.

• Attic Alehouse [Official]
• Help Our Friends at The Attic [GoFundMe]