Site Report #3

Hello, welcome to Block 57. The story of this block begins in 1893. In 1893, there were little clusters of buildings that served a unique purpose and had a particular material. One of the buildings that held steady over time was a gas station. As shown in a photo below, a gas station has remained on Brooklyn Ave. and NE 47th St. Many other corners in University District could not maintain their gas station which makes the block unique (Sherrard 19). Overtime, some clusters were replaced by smaller businesses that helped develop the foundation of the surrounding University District in 1961. In the 1960’s, NE 47th St. and Brooklyn Ave. had Carson Cleaners, two service stations, and the Christ parish Episcopalians (Sherrard 21). These establishments helped shape the identity of the block. Religion played a role and there was a strong working class being represented through the service stations and cleaners. 1989 and 2006 created an image that is reminiscent of today’s University District as there are still some small shops and businesses but there are major chains that take up a good portion of my block as well as the University District. An interesting trend is that fewer people per household are living around University District. From 1970 to the present, wealthier individuals are living in Seattle and fewer families are being established. As the cost of living continues to rise, plenty of people cannot afford to live near Brooklyn Ave. and University Way.

Audio Recording:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3hp8lkLXz5Da1BkSDNvVjFlODB0Z1pRTGRONzJLMHJtNzBr/view?usp=sharing