Neighborhood
Inventories
These neighborhood inventories are accessible and easy to consult,
however having been completed in 1976, they are only current up
until that time. A small summary map shows the general layout of
the neighborhood, while a large color map provides many details
not found on any city map. Three photo galleries feature photographs
and brief descriptions of Common Building Types, Significant Buildings,
and Urban Design Elements, individually numbered and keyed to the
map for easy locatability. Artists' renderings offer evocative
neighborhood scenes. Finally, two extended written texts provide
a general description of the neighborhood and a concise history.
Neighborhood Inventories may be purchased for $4.00 each at Historic
Seattle's office. Call (206) 622-6952 or email # for
information.
Alkimages/ Admiral
- Site of area's first settlers
- Geographically isolated, across Elliott Bay from downtown
Seattle
- Wide, sandy beaches and wonderful views
- Steep, densely wooded terrain
- A rare mix of big city, small town, scenic countryside and
seaside retreat
Ballard
- Scandinavian Heritage
- The Ballard waterfront: old mills, commercial fisheries,
and shipbuildersBallard Avenue: an old-fashioned, small town
Main Street
- The Ship Canal and the Ballard Locks, with its lovely gardens
and fish ladder
- Golden Gardens Park, with its forested hillsides and wide,
sandy beaches
Capitol Hill
- Millionaire's Row
- Many old churches and other historic buildings
- Volunteer Park and Conservatory: a wonderful hilltop view
of the entire city
- Broadway: many fine shops and independent businesses
Central
- Starting point of Skid Row
- The city's oldest residential neighborhood
- Racial and ethnic diversity dating from the 1890s
- Many fine examples of early Seattle architecture
- Classic churches, synagogues, and community buildings
- Abundant open spaces
Denny Regrade
- Denny Hill was levelled by developers at the expense of homeowners
- Eclectic mix of architectural styles
- Seattle Center: Space Needle, Key Arena, Pacific Science
Center
- Belltown: new upscale shops and residential high-rises
- Monorail from downtown to Seattle Center
- Radio and Television studios
Eastlake / Cascade
- East shore of Lake Union
- Architecture reflecting Scandinavian, Russian, and Greek
heritage
- Transition from residential to mixed land use
- Industrial waterfront
- Neighborhood of houseboats
First Hill
- A once rich neighborhood swept away by the tides of progress
- Small homes, commerce, brownstone apartments
- Cabrini, Swedish, Providence, and Virginia Mason Hospitals
- St. James Cathedral
- Seattle University
- Yesler Terrace: one of the most successful housing projects
in the country
Fremont
- Town established to support sawmills and iron works
- Hillside neighborhoods with views of the mountains and the
city
- Industrial waterfront along northwest shore of Lake Union
and the ship canal
- Oldest existant school buildings in the city
- Turn-of-the-century commercial buildings, public library,
and Baptist church
- Strong community identity and support for the arts
- Annual Street Fair and Solstice Day Parade
Green Lake
- Formed by glaciers, the lake was partially drained to create
surrounding parkland
- Sloping, well-landscaped residential streets with views of
the lake
- Woodland Park: zoo, playfields, forest, gardens
- Swimming, jogging, bicycling, fishing, and picnicking
- Water sporting events
- Green Lake shopping district among the city's most attractive
International District
- Center for many ethnic groups: Chinese, Japanese, Filipino,
Vietnamese, and (once upon a time) Native American, Italian,
and African-American
- Caligraphic signage, balconied brick buildings, traditional
oriental lattice work, pagodas, and other buildings of oriental
design
- Kobe Terrace Park, featuring a Japanese snow viewing lantern
- Many small parks, import shops and grocers, and ethnic restaurants
- Chong Wa Benevolent Society, Chinese Baptist Church, Milwaukee
Hotel, Astor Hotel
Madrona, Leschi, & Madison Park
- Leschi was named after the Nisqually Indian Chief who favored
the area's sheltered ravine for his summer camp
- Eastern orientation towards Lake Washington
- Abundant, heavily-wooded parklands
- Predominantly residential character
- Picturesquely landscaped streets
- Old English Tudor, Georgian Revival, Victorian, and many
other style homes
- Proximity to Central Area
- Public Beaches
Montlake
- Small, close-knit residential neighborhood with tree-lined
streets
- Interlaken Park, Arboretum, Foster Island Trail, Lake Washington
Canal, Portage Bay
- Seattle Yacht Club, Museum of History and Industry, St. Demetrios
Church
- Close to University of Washington
Mount Baker
- Turn-of-the-century planning resulted in one of the most
successful residential developments in the city
- Exclusively single-family homes
- Parks, well-landscaped boulevards, curvilinear streets following
topography
- Finer homes on eastern slopes overlook Lake Washington
- Modest homes on western slopes overlook Rainier Valley and
Beacon Hill
- Commercial development limited to a single area
- Several buildings by Ellsworth Storey, one of Seattle's finest
architects, including Mount Baker Community Club
Queen Anne
- Rising north of Seattle Center, Queen Anne Hill dominates
the surrounding topography
- First dubbed "Eden" by Seattle pioneer Thomas Mercer in 1853
- Residential community with considerable variety of social,
economic, stylistic, and topographic qualities
- Several small viewpoint parks with panoramic views
- Views, brownstone apartments, and businesses along Queen
Anne Avenue provide an ambience to rival San Francisco's Telegraph
Hill
- Close in but relatively isolated because no thoroughfare
to other places
University District
- University Way: pedestrian-oriented business strip known
as the "Ave"
- Greek Row
- Single-family, subdivided, and rooming houses
- 1920s-era brick apartments and newer, motel-type apartments
- University Tower Hotel, Safeco Building
- City-within-a-city self-sufficiency
Wallingford
- South-facing slopes with views of Lake Union and downtown
Seattle
- Sawmills and gas, tar, asphalt, and ammonia works once lined
the Lake Union shore - now they're memorialized by Gasworks
Park
- Waterfront industries, marinas, and boathouse neighborhoods
- Wallingford Center, housed in old Interlake High School
- The "Wallingford Bungalow"