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News broke Wednesday afternoon that the iconic Taco Time restaurant in Seattle鈥檚 Wallingford neighborhood will close in just a few days. The restaurant has been in business there for 50 years.

Signs on the doors went up last week, and 听offered a few more details. This location of Taco Time, west of I-5 on North 45th Street in Wallingford, is shutting down for good this coming Monday. An employee told the Seattle Times that business had never really bounced back since the COVID pandemic.

This building is distinctive, essentially a mirrored glass box. It鈥檚 hard to overstate how unusual it looked when it was being built at the corner of North 45^th and Corliss Avenue North sometime around late 1989 or early 1990. This newer building replaced an earlier, more conventional Taco Time, which originally opened for business in the 1970s.

People who know this location of Taco Time love it for the regional chain鈥檚 tasty food: Crispy Bean Burrito, Veggie Soft Taco, the recently renamed Tater Fries, and even the oddly appealing hot sauce (which seems to rely on corn starch for its surprising amount of surface tension).

But the unusually futuristic 鈥� which, for some, also reads as 鈥�1980s and dated鈥� 鈥� architecture is part of the appeal in Wallingford and has been for nearly 35 years.

Some Seattleites have for decades called it the 鈥淏auhaus Taco Time鈥� and pretended that it was designed by late Bauhaus architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who first found fame in 1920s Germany. Others, on social media Wednesday, say they called it the 鈥淭aco Club鈥� or the 鈥淭aco Palace.鈥�

One commenter said her family called in the 鈥淔lash Cube Building鈥� and wondered later how many people would know what she was talking about (vintage photography accessories, in case you were wondering).

Circa 1990, a certain irritating radio historian dubbed it the 鈥淭aco Pavilion鈥� and concocted an apocryphal tale that the structure was left over from Expo 鈥�86, the world鈥檚 fair in Vancouver, BC. In Terminal City鈥檚 celebration, the building had functioned as the 鈥淭aco Pavilion鈥� during the fair; once the fair was over, it was surplus, sold at auction, and then moved by truck to Seattle. Please note that this story is NOT TRUE.

A spokesperson for Taco Time Northwest told 成人X站 Newsradio Thursday that the Wallingford location is owned and operated by a franchisee, and thus the spokesperson was unable to provide information about closure, the architect who designed the building, or any further details. 成人X站 Newsradio ask to be connected to the Wallingford owner, and Taco Time Northwest offered to forward a message.

Meanwhile, longtime customers Stephanie Dobler and Bill Woityra made a special burrito-seeking visit Wednesday after hearing the news and paused from placing their order to speak with 成人X站 Newsradio.

鈥淚t’s the end of an era,鈥� Woityra told 成人X站 Newsradio. 鈥淭his is going to be one of the last opportunities to come by the Taco Time in Wallingford.鈥�

鈥淚 grew up eating Taco Time . . . and I’m very sad it’s leaving,鈥� Dobler said. 鈥淭he Fish Baja with the Wild Alaskan Cod is a huge deal, so I’m incredibly sad.鈥�

鈥淭he architectural style I think is very significant,鈥� Dobler continued. 鈥淎nd I hope that they do not tear it down.鈥�

Next up for the Taco Time location in Wallingford is an outlet of the burrito chain Chipotle.

In an email to 成人X站 Newsradio, Chipotle spokesperson Annie Gradinger wrote from Newport, California, 鈥淲e are currently scheduled to open a new location in Seattle this winter. It will be located at 2212 N 45th Street and feature the brand鈥檚 signature Chipotlane, a drive thru pick-up lane that allows guests to conveniently pick up digital orders without leaving their cars.鈥�

One likely casualty of Taco Time’s departure is the giant cactus-shaped sign at the corner of 45th and Corliss. The cactus likely predates the 1990 structure since the building almost entirely blocks the view of the sign from the west.

North 45^th is a busy thoroughfare that functions as Wallingford鈥檚 main street, and some retailers located there have appeared to struggle in recent years. The beloved Wallingford Bartell Drugs closed down a few months ago, while the old Guild 45^th Theatre was torn down last year and is now a vacant lot (though new development is planned there). Another popular taco spot that had operated at the old Winchell鈥檚 Donut House for many years 鈥� Rancho Bravo Tacos 鈥� also shut down abruptly in the past few weeks.

While multiple Taco Time locations remain in operation around Puget Sound 鈥� including that Wallingford doppelganger in Auburn 鈥� the final day at 45^th and Corliss is this Monday, July 15.

鈥淭his was always just this beacon of tacos,鈥� Stephanie Dobler said. 鈥淓very time I was in the neighborhood, we had to come. I’m very sad.鈥�

You can hear Feliks Banel every Wednesday and Friday morning on Seattle鈥檚 Morning News with Dave Ross and Colleen O鈥橞rien. Read more from Feliks here and subscribe to The Resident Historian Podcast here. If you have a story idea or a question about Northwest history, please email Feliks. You can also follow formerly known as Twitter.

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