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Belltown

William Bell's Overture: Development of an Urbane Village

By Roberta Cruger

The grand facade of the Austin A. Bell building. Adam Richter photo.

Jan 31, 2002 -- One hundred and fifty years after Seattle settler William Bell homesteaded in a log cabin on what is now Bell Street, his vision for developing his parcel of land into a vibrant commercial district has come true. Belltown has transformed into one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in town--and one of the hippest in the country. But vestiges of the area's past lives are found on every corner.

In the time capsule recently unearthed from copper containers inside the old Opera House on the edge of the Denny Regrade, a letter from city founder David Denny urged his brother, "Come as soon as you can." As a member of the pioneering Denny party, Bell claimed his acreage stretching 300 feet upward from the waterfront. His son continued the legacy with the Austin A. Bell Building on First Avenue, yet a series of changes followed.

The first business development effort, concocted by city engineer Reginald Thomson at the turn of the last century, called for leveling the hill. Twenty million gallons of water were pumped from Lake Union to wash the boulders and mud into Elliot Bay and flatten the land. The immense regrade project, not completed until the early 1930s, proved inopportune as the Depression put the kibosh on any brisk business.

Though considered somewhat of a wasteland from the '30s through the '70s, an assortment of industries, from fish canneries to printing presses, and factories--shoes, boxes and cans-- occupied this section of the city, explained Mimi Sheridan, a neighborhood planner and historic preservation consultant. Smells from the old fish-smoking plant still linger inside the Skyway Luggage Building.

The gritty district housed workers in cottages (three remain near the Belltown P-Patch) and apartments, which were residential hotels built for the Exposition of 1909. Some of those brick buildings are owned by social service agencies and still offer subsidized housing, saving much of the early character of Belltown.

Once WWII started, industry turned from fishing to labor unions, including the Sailor's Union--housed in what is now the ritzy El Gaucho. In fact, the war construction and Navy yards had quite an effect on the locale. "WWII was a watershed in many ways for Seattle," Sheridan said. She noted that, although time has repeatedly changed the landscape of industry, the area's own horizon provides clues to its past--from the warehouses to the art-deco structures and glass, high-rise condos, the range of Belltown architecture is telling of the locale's various incarnations throughout its history. RealNetworks stands today where a wholesale clothing outlet thrived in the '80s and, before that, the American Can Factory. According to Sheridan, the Rite Aid awning on Third Avenue hides a beautiful stained-glass window from the days of Metropolitan Press.

"Film Row" along Second was the regional center of Hollywood's vital movie distribution trade, screening and shipping motion pictures throughout the Pacific Northwest. The Catholic Seaman's Club was home to Paramount Pictures and offices are located in the old film vaults of the old MGM Building.

During the '50s and '60s Belltown became a "blah area," she admits. Maybe that's when the rumor spread about it being a red light district with bells on doors instead of lights. Around the '70s, artists moved in as Pioneer Square re-development put the squeeze on cheap loft space at the other end of First Avenue.

With the recent gentrification, our forefathers' aspirations' may finally be reality. Ultra-chic eateries, stylish shops, spas, salons, modish galleries and trendy clubs make it a Mecca for locals, tourists as well as neo-bohemians. Doubling the population within 15 years has intensified the extended 40-some blocks, bringing fears that the community's diversity loses to yuppie mono-culture.

"Everything's meant to be developed," Sheridan shrugs. "However, Belltown is beyond an urban village." Beside the standard residential component and commercial district, it's surrounded by downtown, Pike Place Market, Puget Sound, and Seattle Center.

Continuing to evolve, Belltown ranges from luxury to low-income inhabitants, mixing day laborers with young professionals, drug crime and cruise ships. Though the former colorful taverns are overshadowed by a swankier nightlife, a hodgepodge of contrasts remains, reflecting its eclectic image. The building at 66 Bell Street was once a commercial laundry and then an artist colony. Today, the Sit & Spin provides both.

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Bethany	Oct 27, 2002	Washington	Student
I think you shoud put in some biographys of the people u talk about