Ben Gant, the man trying to breathe new life into a rundown newsstand in downtown Seattle, has finally gotten the city permits he needs to revamp an aging blue shack on the corner of 3rd and Pike.

"After 18 months of kicking and screaming, SDOT has issued me my permits," Gant says in an email.

Gant has proclaimed his newstand as the "most historically significant newsstand in U.S history" and is apparently working with groups like Historic Seattle to get the newsstand—originally built in 1919—landmark status.

Gant says he expects to start construction on the newsstand this week.