Relics of Seattle's Belltown

Belltown is now a full-out trendy, hip, new, uppercrust, and expensive section of Seattle. I came across a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article recently (May 30, 2008) about a venerable club in the neighborhood -- the Catholic Seamen's Club, originated by the Archdiocese of Seattle in 1939 -- that still hangs on. The venue serves as a haven for sailors coming to Seattle ports, offering recreation, relaxation, and low-cost meals.

Largely starting in the mid 1990s, Belltown began its transformation, and soon thereafter, many other areas of town changed similarly. The edginess and grit of Seattle's iconic neighborhoods such as Belltown and Ballard have nearly all disappeared as the maritime, logging, and fishing industries have further downsized and become obsolete.

Belltown 1992: "That was back when the upscale El Gaucho restaurant about a block away housed the Service Employees International Union. The operating engineers, the plumbers and pipe fitters, and the Sailors Union of the Pacific also were in the neighborhood before rents rose and pushed them out."

Gone are Sunset Bowl and Crocodile Cafe; hanging on are the Seamen's Club, Hurricane Cafe, and Mike's Chili. The land is incredibly valuable these days and it would be difficult not to sell to a developer, let alone pay rent. My hope is to retain this long-established character and feel that gave Seattle its identity.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/365119_sailor30.html