By LEAH WEATHERSBY

Impact from the brick facade that fell off the Oddfellows Building that houses the Empty Space Theatre in late May is still reverberating.

Scaffolding partially blocks the visibility of the shops and restaurants on the ground floor of the building, which is located on the corner of N. 35th and Fremont Place N. Because the walls of the upper story, where the Empty Space houses its administrative offices, will have to be completely rebuilt, the theater company has had to temporarily vacate the premises.

For now, the Empty Space has located its administrative offices in the Wick Building at 720 N 35th Street - down the street and around the corner from its regular home at 3509 Fremont Ave. N.

According to Terry Healy, spokeswoman for the Empty Space, it's almost certain that the theater company will perform its first production of the year, "The Laramie Project," at the Seattle Children's Theatre's Eve Alvord Auditorium at the Seattle Center. The play opens Nov. 14 and runs through Dec. 16.

Healy said Empty Space officials hope the move won't affect ticket sales and in fact the Seattle Center location may prove more convenient for some patrons. Though there is no definite date is set for the Empty Space to move its productions back to Fremont, Healy said that running the whole 2001-2002 season off-site would be a "worse than worst case scenario."

According Mike Peck, owner of the Oddfellows building, the facade crumbled because metal ties that held the bricks to the inner wall had decayed. The inner walls themselves had also deteriorated. Peck said that no other businesses would have to move because of repairs, but said the disruption has been tough for the building's other tenants.

Courtney Harvey, a manager at Bliss clothing store, which is located in the building's corner unit (at 3501 Fremont Ave. N) said her shop's business has definitely been impacted by the repairs. Looking around the shop at lunch time, with only one customer in sight, she noticed the difference.

"Usually the store is packed," Harvey said.

Chad Beieler, kitchen manager at The Longshoreman's Daughter restaurant (3510 Fremont Place N), agreed that business would be better if the scaffolding weren't there, though putting up some decorations outside had helped attract attention.

Peck is unsure exactly how long it would take to restore the Oddfellows Building, but says that it will likely be several months. He added that Safeco Insurance will fully cover the repairs to the building. (