Yesler Terrace, Seattle
Yesler Terrace, a 22-acre (8.9 ha) public housing development in Seattle, Washington was, at the time of its completion in 1941, Washington State's first public housing development and the first racially integrated public housing development in the United States. It occupies much of the area formerly known as Yesler Hill, Yesler's Hill, or Profanity Hill. As of 2005, it is administered by the Seattle Housing Authority, and is Seattle's only remaining large public housing development that has not been converted into a mixed-income neighborhood.
Yesler Terrace is located on the southernmost part of First Hill, along Yesler Way immediately east of downtown Seattle. Uphill across Interstate 5 from Pioneer Square and the International District. Much of the site included Nihonmachi or Japantown until Executive Order 9066 ordered residents to be interned. Yesler Terrace consists of several hundred two-story rowhouses and a small number of community buildings. Unlike most public housing developments, residents have their own private yards.
The name derives ultimately from Henry Yesler, pioneer mill owner. Yesler Way was originally the skid road on which logs were skidded down to the mill. The southern part of the hill came to be known as Yesler's Hill, Yesler Hill, or Profanity Hill. These names referred roughly to the part of First Hill south of the old King County Courthouse at 8th Avenue and Terrace Street. Razed in 1931, the courthouse site was roughly the western portion of the present-day Harborview Medical Center. The name "Profanity Hill" could have its origins from the cursing of the attorneys and litigants at having to climb so steep a grade, or because of the slum neighborhood known for its uncouth inhabitants to the south where Yesler Terrace is now situated.
As of 2005, there are 1,167 residents. An estimated 40% of households are Asian or Asian American, 38% are African or African American, 11% are White, and 3% Native American.[1]
A major, $1.7 billion redevelopment project for the neighborhood began in 2013 to replace existing homes with mixed-income apartments and offices, totaling 5,000 residential units, 900,000 sq ft (84,000 m2) of office space, and 153,000 sq ft (14,200 m2) of retail and community space;[2] the initiative is led by SHA and Vulcan Real Estate, and is designed by Weber Thompson. The first new building, Kebero Court, opened in May 2015 and was followed by the opening of Raven Terrace in February 2016.[3][4] The project, the largest such redevelopment in Seattle's history, is anticipated to take up to 20 years for the full buildout.[2]
The neighborhood is also served by the First Hill Streetcar, which connects Yesler Terrace to Capitol Hill via Broadway, and the International District via Jackson Street. The line opened in 2016.[2]
Prior to the start of construction, existing Yesler Terrace residents had organized to oppose any redevelopment plans that would reduce the number of units available to residents with the lowest income.[1]
Notes and references
- 1 2 Hyla, Adam, "Yesler Terrace: future in question", Real Change (Seattle), March 23–29, 2005, p.4.
- 1 2 3 Stiles, Marc (March 8, 2016). "Yesler Terrace's $1.7B makeover: Some work done, much more to come". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ↑ Levy, Nat (June 4, 2015). "Real Estate Buzz: Housing, both public and private, opens as part of Yesler Terrace redevelopment". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Seattle Housing Authority marks two milestones at Yesler" (Press release). Seattle Housing Authority. January 29, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yesler Terrace, Seattle. |
- Yesler Terrace, Seattle Housing Authority. Includes links to pages relevant to the current planning process.
- Seattle City Clerk's Neighborhood Map Atlas: Yesler Terrace
Coordinates: 47°36′08″N 122°19′12″W / 47.60222°N 122.32000°W