Site Report #1: Deep Read

Picture of an apartment building on this block in the U-District. Taken in Janruary by Taylor Jeffery

A hand drawn map of the block between 8th and 9th and 42nd and 43rd. Drawn by Taylor Jeffery sometime in Janruary.

Taylor Jeffery

8^th and 9^th and 42^nd and 43^rd

The block of 8^th and 9^th between 42^nd and 43^rd is a long stretch of land, tucked away from particularly busy traffic. It is a block in the middle of the U district’s residential area. Here, a variety of building styles can be seen, ranging from modern apartments to very old houses. The block itself is almost surrounded by cars at any given time of day. Most of these are small vehicles, well adapted for the urban environment. The roads encompassing this block are visibly cracked and worn. The dark grey sidewalks with low curbs appear ancient in comparison to newer which tend to have light grey coloring and thick curbs. Something of note is that this block rests upon a slight incline, allowing water to flow freely during the all to frequent rainy Seattle day.

Upon taking a light trek around this area, one can only ponder what secrets it holds. The mix of architecture raises questions as to how development of this section of land progressed over time. While the buildings make it evident that many people live here now, it must be asked if it has always been this way or if this block served other functions in the past. Continuing the train of thought on residency, the kind of person who lives on this block now must also be taken into consideration, as well as who came before.

At first glance, it is difficult to assess what exactly might be missing from this part of the U district. It is a residential area full of houses. One might assume that is all that ought to be there. But this raises the question of why that is so? Why is it a residential area and not something else entirely? Now, it could be said that such neighborhoods desire peace and quiet and thus either locate themselves or are located in areas where businesses are not. It may also be possible that at one point in time most business was conducted where an individual lived, but in the changing times and increasing efficiency of transportation, businesses moved away from homes. Or perhaps, people were able to move away from their occupations. Whatever the answer, it is certain that there is more to this seemingly mundane block than meets the eye.