Conclusion and Work Cited by Loren Pickard
I remember at the beginning of the quarter, Professor O’Mara telling us that her students still get excited about what goes on within their block long after the quarter ends. At the time I laughed at that comment, but now I resonate with it. I feel like I have adopted my block and now that I have learned the history it has been through; I want to protect it. If I could give two takeaways from my block, it is the importance of preserving culture, and the importance of preserving nature.
My block has far succeeded in preserving culture and staying diverse. Where there once was a hall for veterans, there is now a theatre that shows foreign films. There are businesses of every nature and culture, from middle east to Vietnamese, and from a tire shop to a book store. I could not be more proud of how diverse culture is preserved on my block. It brings the area to life and gives it color, and I have learned how important that is a neighborhood through this project.
On the other hand, my block sorely lacks any preservation of nature. There are no green spaces apart from the small yards attached to the houses on the back of my block, or a few trees peeking through concrete. It would have been so easy to plant more trees or convert the abandoned parking lot into a park behind the theatre. Even leaving patches of grass between the buildings instead of surrounding concrete with concrete would have been beneficial. I have learned that when it comes to my block, people only care about people and not the environment. Whether that was the loggers tearing down trees in the 1800’s, expansion for UW in the early 1900’s, or this new up-zoning that will be taking place, there is no consideration for nature, which will only prove to be devastating if not addressed.
Work Cited:
Baist's Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Seattle, Washington Plate 17. 1905 Map. 1905. Photograph. Seattle Public Library.
Beekman, Daniel. "Seattle council approves big U District upzone." The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company, 22 Feb. 2017. Web.
Heartland. "Support Analysis Memo." City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development, 2013. Web.
"Historical Topographic Map Explorer." US Geological Survey, 1894. Web.
"Historical Topographic Map Explorer." US Geological Survey, 1909. Web.
"Historical Topographic Map Explorer." US Geological Survey, 1983. Web.
King County Census. “1900 and 1910 Census". 1900, 1910. Secretary of State, Washington Digital Archives.
O'Mara, Margaret. "The Other Tech Bubble." The American Prospect. 2016.
Pacific Coast Architecture Database. “Seven Gables Theatre History". 1925. University of Washington Library.
Pickard, Loren. Seven Gables Theatre. 2017. Photograph.
Pickard, Loren. Boarded up Shop. 2017. Photograph.
Pickard, Loren. New Apartments. 2017. Photograph.
Pickard, Loren. Map of Block 53. 2017. Photograph.
Seattle Municipal Archives. 1943 Car Wreck at 50th and Roosevelt Way. 1943. Photogtaph. Seattle Municipal Archives Photograph Collection.
Tobin, Caroline, and Sarah Sodt. "University District Historic Survey Report." Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Historic Preservation Program and University District Arts & Heritage Committee, 2002. Web.
University District Partnership. "University District Parks Plan." Seattle Parks and Recreation and Department of Planning and Development. 2015. Web.