Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill Public Library

The hill, as it is known by the locals, originally got its name from early settlers when it was still the planned site for the Washington state capitol. It was the epicenter for the grunge rock revolution of the late 80's and early 90's. Main thoroughfares include, Pine, Pike and Broadway.

Located northeast of Downtown, north of the Central District and First Hill, and west of Madison Valley, Capitol Hill encompasses quite a large area bounded roughly by I-5 to the West, Madison to the South and East, and Boyer to the North. It is home to what's probably Seattle's largest gay community and also a significant homeless population. To many Seattlites Capitol Hill is synonymous with the commercial strip along Broadway, also home to Seattle Central Community College and two popular Landmark art house movie theaters (the Egyptian and the Harvard Exit). The Pike Pine corridor and 15th Avenue North of Denny are also important business and activity centers.

Downtown Seattle (with star trails) from Harvard Ave.

There are several parks in Capitol Hill, including Volunteer Park, where you can climb the water tower and get a beautiful view of the surrounding area, including the old mansions around the park.

History

Capitol Hill's development dates back to the last decade of the 19th century, and increased in pace during the first two decades of the 20th century. It's likely that the often repeated explanation that Capitol Hill was so named by the expectation that it would house the state capitol is false. This was apparently true of Denny Hill (which was destroyed by a regrade project). Capitol Hill was probably named by the developer of Millionaires' Row along 14th Ave., which he named Capitol Hill after a similar development he had undertaken in Denver.

The focal point of early Capitol Hill was Volunteer Park. In 1901 City Park was renamed Volunteer Park in honor of the veterans of the Spanish American War. In 1903, the park was incorporated into Seattle's new parks system designed by John Charles Olmsted. In 1907, the water tower was built in the park.

The development of Volunteer Park reflects the development happening in its near vicinity. The earliest neighborhoods of Capitol Hill were developed nearby. The Stevens neighborhood (bounded by 15th Avenue East, East Galer, East Aloha, and 22nd. Avenue East), Millionaires' Row (the original Capitol Hill) along the ridge that runs along 14th Avenue East from the park towards the south, and the Harvard Belmont area (bounded roughly by St. Marks Cathedral, 10th Avenue East, I-5, and East Roy Street). These neighborhoods are home to some of Seattle's oldest and most stylish mansions. This area has also seen encroachment from the bohemian side of the neighborhood as several mansions have been rented by large groups of twenty-somethings. Spaceship Excellent, a mansion near Volunteer Park, has developed a reputation for being a concert and party venue and is an example of conflict between homeowners and young renters also seen in the University District.

South Capitol Hill was developed around the same time, with Broadway High School built in 1902 at Pine and Broadway. The high school was later razed to build Seattle Central Community College, but its auditorium was retained and converted into the Broadway Performance Hall.

Several fraternal orders also called the Pine and Broadway intersection home. Two of these buildings remain. One is the Oddfellows Hall which now houses Freehold Theatre, the Velocity Dance Company, the Century Ballroom, and a number of other arts organization venues and offices. Another old fraternal hall is now the Egyptian Theater.

By the depression, the millionaires had been joined by numerous apartment dwellers, with many whimsical tudor-styled apartment buildings designed by Frederick Anhalt. These are characterized by their tudor stucco facades and turret stairways.

The depression was responsible for some of Capitol Hill's notable modernist architecture. The stark lines of the original Seattle Art Museum (now the Asian Art Museum) are a result of scaling back the original design because of the depression. The same is true of the austere architecture of St. Mark's Cathedral, and the structural concrete romanesque St Joseph's Church at 18th Avenue East and East Aloha.

In the early 60's, the I-5 freeway was built to the west of Capitol Hill, cutting much of the hill off from the City. As a consequence the area went into a period of decline from which it recovered in the late 70s and early 80s with the development of the hill as a bohemian, gay, and yuppie community.

Night life

The South side of Capitol Hill is known for its vibrant and young community. Very few traditional families call the South side of Capitol Hill home. As a result, there are multiple venues in which to play pool, listen to great music or have (a) drink(s) with friends. Popular destinations include Linda's, Cha Cha's (now endangered by development), Chop Suey, Hopvine and Neumos.

Lesbian, Gay, and Transgendered Community

Capitol Hill is also the center of the city's gay nightlife. Venues include Wildrose Tavern, Neighbours, The Cuff, Purr, Madison PubSeattle Eagle, and C C Attle's. A number of LGBT support organizations are also located on Capitol Hill including: Lambert House, Seattle LGBT Community Center, and the Lifelong Aids Alliance.

In the 1950's and 1960's the center of the LGBT community was located in Pioneer Square. Starting in the mid-70s, as Boeing slashed jobs, families moved to the suburbs, and rents plummeted on Capitol Hill, the LGBT community gradually relocated to Capitol Hill.

Capitol Hill remains the location of Seattle's Pride Parade since the early 1980's, but a splinter group has launched a competing event downtown and at the Seattle Center.

The Capitol Hill gay community has changed a lot over the early years of the 21st century, with the closure of Seattle's LGBT bookstore (Beyond the Closet), the closure of the hill's only gay pride shop, and the closure of a couple of gay clubs (Spintron, Timberline, ARO.Space, and the short lived Blu). Seattle's gay community has become more decentralized too, with more members of the community living in places like West Seattle, Wallingford, and Bainbridge Island.

External links

• 15th Avenue Community mailing list
• 15th Avenue Wiki
• Photos of Seattle