Construction worker plays saxophone to save the Showbox

SEATTLE — It wasn't just the soulful sounds of a saxophone heard throughout Belltown this Saturday afternoon.

It was Landon Jackson, playing straight from his heart, trying to save the Showbox Theater.

“This hits. That's a beacon of Seattle music history and we got to have our history. Keep our history,” Jackson explained.

Earlier this week, developers announced they wanted to tear down the nearly 80-year-old venue and build a 44-story high-rise apartment building.

Jackson, who is also a local musician, has seen nearly two dozen shows at the Showbox. He isn't letting the storied music hall go without a fight.

“I’ve seen a lot of my friends play there, I’ve seen a lot of greats play there, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden," he said.

So Jackson stood perched on his lunch break, high up on the corner of a construction site at 2nd and Wall where he works.

He is urging people down below to sign an online petition that hopes to get the Showbox designated as a historic landmark.

Jackson recognizes the irony. Though he's a construction worker who benefits from the city's building boom, he also wants people to rethink how quickly Seattle is changing.

“If we keep taking away our historical monuments, Jackson added, “Pretty soon we're not going to have anything left.”

Jackson says he plans to play the sax to save the Showbox every Saturday during his lunch break.

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