Good Shepherd Center
- Address: 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North
- Date Built: 1906
- Original
Architect/Builder: C. Alfred Breitung.
- Original
Owners: Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
- Description: Fine example of the Italianate style embellished with Corinthian capitals and elaborate stone work.
Historic Seattle's Role:
After providing over 60 years of service to young women seeking shelter, education, and training, declining numbers of residents forced the Home of the Good Shepherd to close in 1973. After the Wallingford community defeated a proposal to turn the 11-acre site into a shopping center, the City of Seattle bought the property in 1975 with Forward Thrust and Federal Revenue Sharing funds and then transferred the buildings to Historic Seattle for use as a multi-purpose community center. The project is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and gained Offical City of Seattle Landmark status on September 10, 1984 (Ord. # 111882).
Current and Future Uses:
The property is owned and operated by Historic Seattle and the center currently houses non profit organizations and schools including the Meridian School, Neo Art School, the Wallingford Senior Center, the Wallingford Community Council, and Seattle Tilth.
Historic Seattle added six live/work units for artists in early 2002. Ranging in size from 580 sq.feet to 650 sq. feet, the artist studios are located on the top floor, once used for the school's dance classes and costume storage. The artist residents are a diverse group and bring a lot of creativity and enthusiasm to the Good Shepherd Center community.
Historic Seattle also completed a small performance/ rehearsal space (seating capacity 100-150) in the former fourth floor chapel. Accessible by elevator, this beautiful, two-story space features wooden floors, columns, and a permanent stepped platform at one end of the room.
Historic Seattle partnered with NonSequitur, a music production non-profit, who stages twelve of their own shows per month, in addtion to acting as booking agent for all other community events in the Chapel.
Learn more about meeting room rental, tenant leasing information and other frequently asked questions regading the Good Shepherd Center.