Site Report 1
View of the landscaped area in front of Cultivate, and the dorms titular elm tree. University District (Seattle, WA). Taken on January 12, 2017.
The western side of Elm Hall and the windows of the dormitories. University District (Seattle, WA). Taken on January 12, 2017.
The heavily foot-trafficked sidewalk on the north side of Elm Hall. University District (Seattle, WA). Taken on January 12, 2017
An overview map of Block 27. Created on January 19, 2017.
My site, located between 12th Ave NE and Brooklyn Ave NE and between NE 41stSt and NE Campus Parkway. When visiting the location, I discovered that although there is only one building structure, three distinct but related areas are held within. The main use of the building serves as Elm Hall, one of the relatively newer dorms which is built in west campus. In the eastern section of the building structure is a more formal restaurant called Cultivate which serves students on campus. The dormitory also contains the Fitness Center West as well as a health center for students. The outside of the building is very verdant, with lots of trees and bushes lining the sidewalk. In front of Cultivate is a nice landscaped area which has a large, beautiful tree. While I was taking pictures of the block, I spoke to a man who told me he landscaped west campus and that the tree was an elm tree which was over a hundred years old.
The south and east sides of the block both had bike racks, presumably for the students living in the dorm to secure their transportation once they arrived home. Foot-traffic on the block was very high with student constantly coming and going from the dormitory. In addition to foot-traffic from dormers, there were a large number of people congregating on the south side of the block at the bus stop. Stop number 9138 has five buses which stop at it regularly, and which go to places such as Freemont, the Seattle Center, Downtown/Stadium, and Broadway. Only the north side of the building has parking, for a maximum of two hours, potentially being for loading and unloading only or as parking for Cultivate, which as has an entrance on the north side.
Although I learned a lot by visiting the site, I still have some questions I hope to answer by doing historical research. One question I have is why there is no parking lot on or near the block, as it is an epicenter of campus life and it seems some students would like to have a car. When was Elm Hall built, and what was there before it? How long has this block been owned by the University of Washington, who owned the land before it? What was the terrain like before the city was created? What had to be done to the landscape before it could be built on? And does the elm tree have a story, or is it simply a tree?