Brandon Macz at the Capitol Hill Times published Weinstein A+U's first designs for the new building that will be built on the site where Hugo House now stands. The design for the new Hugo House includes "a reading lounge along a window wall at 11th Avenue that will feel like a library" and a "long gallery [that] will lead to a performance space, which is planned to have telescoping bleacher seating for large readings," as well as "a café themed to match Hugo House."

This is exciting stuff. Of course it will be sad to lose the old Hugo House building, but this new space has the chance to be something great. If the café is open late and serves booze, for instance, it stands a very good chance of being the literary bar that Seattle so desperately needs. (I've been going on about Seattle's need for a literary bar for years now.) The best thing about the promise of a new space is the way it puts our imaginations to work. We can't help but envision filling this space in all sorts of new and exciting ways. Go take a look, and start thinking about all the ways you'd spend time in that space.