At 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 3rd Pioneer Square's First Thursday Artwalk is just kicking into gear. Its epicenter is directly across Elliott Bay from Alki, the historic 619 Western Arts Building, home to a colony of over 100 studios on six floors representing perhaps 200 artists, a century-old structure that has recently placed a grin on the face of the wrecking ball. It is perched directly over what will be the Deep Bore Tunnel, if and when it is built, and is too unstable to withstand the force of the drill. It will either need to be demolished, or get a retrofit costing millions and taking two years to complete. Either way, the artists will be forced to vacate and scatter.

By 1:00 a.m. the air is paradoxically filled with both frenzy and mellowness as perhaps a thousand visitors will have climbed the tall, storied wooden staircase, meandered through the cavernous hallways and in and out of the 800 square-feet or so studios while gazing at paintings, photography and sculpture on or against what seems to be every available section of wall. The question on many artists' minds in 619 is, "Is the party over?"

West Seattle residents Johnny and Ariel O'Brady rent two studios at 619 side by side. Both artists are painters and have strong emotional ties to the building, while John has taken on more of a political role in the Deep Bore Tunnel controversy than his wife.

"I love the building," said Johnny. "What I heard is that Vashon Island got expensive with the ferry and so a bunch of artists moved to West Settle, to Alki." He said many West Seattle residents rent spaces in 619.

"This is the largest arts building on the West Coast," he said. "If the building is demolished and we're spread throughout the city it's going to hurt our culture. This is a neighborhood. We're fighting for our friends, our family. I've lived in like 20 places and had a lot of studios. This place is unique. SoHo and Greenwich Village (in New York City) are like shopping malls now. The artists got pushed out and moved to Brooklyn. Then they got pushed out of Brooklyn. The neighborhoods got gentrified. That's what's happening here. What we want to do here is have a zoned artist district so that in 50 or 100 years the heart of Pioneer Square is filled with musicians, poets, welders, dancers."

A brightly-painted life-sized outline on Johnny's studio wall , unmistakably of silent film icon Clara Bow, welcomes vistors. So does another, in red, of Marilyn Monroe.

"I was commissioned to paint Marilyn for my buddy (on canvas) and, like six times, I screwed it up," recalled Johnny. "Then I did a real good one on the wall. He'll have to come and take the wall," he quipped. "I use oils, acrylic, water colors, whatever I can get my hands on."

He did a fiberglass skateboard for the Vera Project at the Seattle Center, and currently has exhibits at Alki Arts, the new gallery at 2820 Alki Ave. SW,. at the Century Ballroom downtown, and in Kirkland.

"They want to bore under us and then the building will drop two inches," Johnny said. "On Dec. 16 the DOT hung three posters in our building and told us we have to all be vacated and they'd start the process in early July, and would tell us in July whether they'd demolish or retrofit it. There are people in this building 30 years who are now going to be spread in the wind."

"I really value historic structures like the Western Building and have found a tremendous amount of charm and beauty in this building," said Ariel. "Every day since I've heard about the upcoming demolition my heart has broken a little bit more. I hope for the sake of history Seattle can preserve this building, and I hope for the sake of the artists we can find studios that speak to our hearts like this one speaks to mine."

"Sometimes I spend 80 hours a week in my studio," said Chris Sheridan, 33, an Alki resident who works 20 hours a week as a "manny". He said he cares for his friends' two boys who prefer to call him that rather than "nanny". He and his longtime girlfriend, Kate Protage, share the space. He paints, and also builds and paints skateboards. Protage is a painter and muralist whose work was purchased by Harbor Steps to decorate their new LINK Apartment complex in the West Seattle Triangle at 4550 38th Ave. SW. In the studio is a finished, abstract 10-feet horizontal earth-toned painting depicting the Alaska Junction to be hung at LINK.

"When we moved into this building in 2006 (from Brooklyn) we were told straight up the building is going to be torn down," said Sheridan, who has a slightly different take on 619's future. "We always knew that day was coming. They're working with us to relocate us. That's kind of the cool part about it. Before we were just going to get kicked out."

Sheridan mentioned that some lease-holders would be compensated if they operate a permanent business from their studio.

Still, Sheridan is uneasy with the Deep Bore project.

He explained, "Am I a fan of the tunnel? No. Am I a fan of the fact that we're going to have to pay for the inevitable cost overruns. No. Do I enjoy the fact that this building's going to be torn down given how much art we have already lost in Pioneer Square? No. But the art is still going to be here. It is just going to be different. If you can call the artist a species we're very resilient. The art walk is still going to exist. We'll survive. We'll make something new. We can do that and we will do that."

"My understanding is if the (Deep Bore) tunnel goes through or not, everyone is going to have to leave," said Mike O'Brien, the only City Councilmember against the tunnel. He and his wife were visiting the 619 Building for the first time during the art walk. Also touring the building were Councilmembers Nick Licata and Tom Rasmussen.

"If the tunnel doesn't happen I think (the building) gets to stay," O'Brien said. "They might spend a couple of years remodeling it. Then, once it's remodeled, can artists still afford it? If the tunnel does happen I think we really need to come together and find a space, or spaces, for our artists. It will never replicate this feel, but will need to have a good feel for artists. It's great to see Seattle out supporting this. There are a ton of people here tonight."