Site Report 1
A photograph of the University Bookstore from its ack entrance. University Distrcit (Seattle, WA). Taken on January 18, 2017. Taken by Esko, Garrett.
Block 8’s most notable feature is the University Bookstore. Together with its parking lot, the Bookstore dominates most of the block, taking up about half of the available space. The East side of the block also contains Malloy Apartments, as well as the UW Alumni House. An alleyway runs through the middle of the block, with an entrance to the parking garage for Malloy, as well as a small area that is likely for loading and unloading of supplies to the Bookstore and EZ Copy. The West side features several other shops along University Way, such as Shiga’s Import Shop, Crossroads Trading Co., Bartell Drugs, EZ Copy N Print, and the Beetle Café. This block is also home to the University Masonic Lodge, which I was not aware existed until now. Other than a small sign on University Way, there is no indication that the Lodge is there, and the building itself is actually tucked in the alleyway, not on University Way at all.
Despite its prominence and age, one might question why the University Bookstore is located on this block. While it being on the Ave ensures its accessibility and use, putting it between 45th and 43rd is a different story in my eyes. The location can hardly be considered central campus, and is in fact far North of most of the buildings, including the dormitories and the libraries. The only student living spaces that are relatively close to the Bookstore are those on Greek row.
A photograph of the main entrance of Malloy Apartments on 15th Avenue. University District (Seattle, WA). Taken on January 18, 2017. Taken by Esko, Garrett.
The presence of Malloy Apartments also brings up some interesting questions about the order in which the block was constructed and organized. The building the apartments are housed in appears to have been designed specifically for that purpose. If it was built after the Bookstore had already moved there, one wonders why they would put apartments in a block that was mainly being used for student shopping.
A photograph of a barred-off area on 45th St. University Distrcit (Seattle, WA). Taken on January 18, 2017. Taken by Esko, Garrett.
There are also several chained- or barred-off areas in the alleyway and on 45th. These areas are unmarked, and lead to areas that appear to be unconnected with other buildings and businesses. I would like to find out what they lead to, and why the buildings were constructed in this way.
If we consider the Bookstore to be the block’s main feature, there isn’t much that could be considered missing from the block. However, if we were to consider the apartments to be of greater significance, then I would question the lack of businesses that would benefit the people that live there, such as restaurants and clothing shops. If I had to guess, these businesses aren’t there because of the Bookstore, but in order to prove this I would need to find out whether the Bookstore was built before or after the apartments, and how closely together they were built.
A hand-drawn map of Block 8. University District (Seattle, WA). Drawn on January 18, 2017. Drawn by Esko, Garrett.