Introduction

The neighborhood of Latona was one of the first areas north of Lake Union that was developed in the late 1800s thanks to a railroad and the Latona bridge that made access into downtown Seattle easy and provided jobs for the area. By 1929 the block was fully developed with single family homes as the neighborhood continued to develop, in part thanks to the expansion of the University of Washington. Like most of the University District, the development of the block was further shaped by the university as it grew in size. By the 1970s and 1980s the block shifted from being occupied by families to college students, who occupy the majority of the block to this day. While other areas of the University District have shifted from residential to commercial with further zoning, this block has remained steady in its purpose to house both employees in the U-District, and college students who are starting their pursuit of higher education at the University of Washington.