Capitol Hill Alano Club seeks temporary space after break-in, arson!

A break-in and arson at the Capitol Hill Alano Club early Tuesday caused smoke and water damage to the historic building, but the real harm is to the 1,600 addicts who attend the club's 12-step recovery meetings each week, reports Seattle Times.


Roughly 60 meetings — for people battling alcohol and drug addiction, along with overeaters and hoarders — are held weekly at the building at 19th and E. Madison St., said David Coburn, a board member for the nonprofit organization. The club, he said, is the only one in the city specifically dedicated to members of Seattle's lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community.

"Many people of that sexual orientation do feel this is the only safe place to go, especially when they're new to recovery," Coburn said.

The thief or thieves stole a small amount of cash — Coburn said likely less than $100 — from a small safe on the building's first floor. A second-floor office was ransacked and torched after someone attempted to break into another safe, he said. Much of the building was damaged by smoke and water but can easily be cleaned up, Coburn said. The sprinkler system in the building, built in 1909, kept the fire from spreading.

"They caused a lot of damage for very little money," he said.

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