Site Report 1

My assigned city block in the University District is located between Adams Ln. NE, Cowlitz Rd. NE, Brooklyn Ave NE, and NE Pacific St. This city block includes the Stevens Court Apartments, a parking garage, and a portion of the Burke-Gilman trail. The occupants are mostly students from the University of Washington residing in Stevens Court. The area is quite peaceful, possibly since students are monitored by University Residential Advisors. Shrubbery surrounds the apartment buildings, and you can smell the waterfront which lies just a few blocks away. There are plenty of non-student passersby who frequent this strip of the Burke-Gilman Trail for exercise. I heard about trails replacing railroad tracks, and I wondered if that was how the Burke-Gilman Trail came to be. If so, this transformation was smoothly accomplished. A blue emergency station stands  beside the paved trail for the safety of those frequenting the area. There is a parking garage on the lower part of the hill, mostly hidden by greenery, that was not filled to capacity possibly due to the high permit costs imposed by the university.

When I looked up from the center of the apartments, I noticed the giant metal bird head situated at the top of the community center. Its uniqueness sets it apart from the surrounding, similar-looking apartments. By looking from a different perspective, I was able to catch more personality from the city block. I discovered another interesting perspective when I looked West of the Stevens Court. I saw the continuation of more modern looking apartments. The row of Stevens Court apartments looked as though they connected to the apartments a block over which seemed to lead endlessly to more housing.

Many unanswered questions arose from my exploration: Why is there a giant metal bird head in the middle of the Stevens Court apartments? What was on this land before Stevens Court and was it owned by the University of Washington? How did the Burke-Gilman Trail come to be? I look forward to doing historical research to learn the answers to these questions.

I find it odd that there were no other businesses on this large block, such as retail or restaurants. Most other UW-owned areas have restaurants and retails sharing their spaces which accumulate good business. I see the Husky Grind a block over from this location, so the UW may have found the area well enough equipped to not need some form of restaurant or other service. Once I acquire data that shows how the land was used before the Stevens Court apartments were built, I will learn if there were ever more businesses occupying this block, and how they interacted with the counterparts of their times.