© Copyright 2017 Michelle Yellin
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© Copyright 2017 Michelle Yellin Beyond Integrity: Prioritizing Historic Significance over Historic Integrity for a Representative Landscape of Built Cultural Heritage in Seattle's Central District Michelle Yellin A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Urban Planning University of Washington 2017 Committee: Manish Chalana Rachel Berney Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Urban Design & Planning University of Washington Abstract Beyond Integrity: Prioritizing Historic Significance over Historic Integrity for a Representative Landscape of Built Cultural Heritage in Seattle's Central District Michelle Yellin Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Associate Professor, Manish Chalana, MLA, PhD Urban Design & Planning Traditionally, the field and practice of historic preservation in much of the Western world has valued primarily white, European, upper-class male history and heritage. This is in large part because historic integrity is prioritized over historic significance in the evaluation of historic properties, which leaves vernacular built heritage associated with minority communities unrecognized and unprotected. Such is the case in Seattle’s historically Black Central District neighborhood, which is currently experiencing rapid growth and development that threatens many vernacular properties considered significant to Black history and culture. Using archival methods, analytical mapping, and field ethnography, this thesis quantifies how historic integrity has triumphed over historic significance in the evaluation of vernacular built heritage associated with Black history and culture in the Central District, and explores four cases in depth that illustrate this point further. The final chapter reflects on ways to rethink the evaluation of historic integrity and historic significance on both national and local levels, and offers suggestions to improve local efforts to preserve culturally significant heritage associated with minority communities. i TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1 Background ................................................................................................................................. 1 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 4 Limitations .................................................................................................................................. 4 Audience ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Terminology ................................................................................................................................ 5 Roadmap ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Methods ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................... 10 Diversity in Historic Preservation ............................................................................................. 10 Historic Integrity & Historic Significance in Current Preservation Practice ............................ 15 Vernacular Architecture ............................................................................................................ 22 Chapter 3. CASE STUDY – SEATTLE’S CENTRAL DISTRICT ....................................... 28 Geography of the Central District ............................................................................................. 28 History ...................................................................................................................................... 30 Changes in the Central District ................................................................................................. 34 ii Chapter 4. TAKING STOCK OF CULTURAL RESOURCES & PRESERVATION STAKEHOLDERS IN THE CD ................................................................................................ 49 Seattle’s Historic Preservation Stakeholders ............................................................................ 49 Mapping Built Heritage in the Central District ........................................................................ 54 Cultural Heritage in the Central District ................................................................................... 58 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 64 Chapter 5. VIGNETTES ............................................................................................................ 67 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 68 Liberty Bank ............................................................................................................................. 69 Yesler Terrace ........................................................................................................................... 77 William Grose House ................................................................................................................ 83 Black Panther Party Headquarters ............................................................................................ 88 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 94 Chapter 6. REFLECTIONS……………………………………………………………………98 APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………………….102 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………105 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1. Preservation Resources (Source: National Trust for Historic Preservation [1]. .......... 17 Figure 3.1 Context map of the Central District in Seattle .............................................................. 29 Figure 3.2 1994 Zoning Map of Central Seattle ............................................................................ 36 Figure 3.3a&b Alternatives 2 & 3: Proposed Zoning for Union-Jackson Urban Village .............. 39 Figure 3.4 Three Nodes of focus in 23rd Action Plan..................................................................... 41 Figure 3.5 Context map for corresponding photos of 23rd and Union in the CD .......................... 45 Figure 3.6 NW corner of 23rd & Union: Development in progress .............................................. 46 Figure 3.7 NE corner of 23rd & Union: Uncle Ike's and the Neighbor Lady ................................ 46 Figure 3.8 SW corner of 23rd & Union: New mixed--used development ..................................... 47 Figure 3.9 SE corner of 23rd & Union: Earl's Cuts and Styles in Midtown Center ..................... 47 Figure 4.1 2010 Census Block Data showing racial demographic patterns ................................... 55 Figure 4.2 Building Age in the CD – north side ............................................................................ 56 Figure 4.3 Building Age in Seattle - south side ............................................................................. 57 Figure 4.4 Built Cultural Heritage in the Central District ........................................................... 61 Figure 4.5 Built Cultural Heritage in the Central District .............................................................. 62 Figure 4.6 Built Cultural Heritage in the Central District .............................................................. 63 Figure 5.1 Locations of Vignette cases .......................................................................................... 68 Figure 5.2 Liberty Bank in 1968 .................................................................................................... 70 Figure 5.3 Liberty Bank in 2013 .................................................................................................... 71 Figure 5.4 Former Liberty Bank site, (on the right), 24th and Union ............................................ 76 Figure 5.5 Yesler Terrace at the time of its construction in the 1940s .......................................... 78 Figure 5.6 10th and Yesler looking west ........................................................................................ 82 Figure 5.7 Grose house in 1893 ..................................................................................................... 84 Figure 5.8 Grose house in 1980 ..................................................................................................... 85 Figure 5.9 Grose house in 1991 ..................................................................................................... 85 Figure 5.10 Grose house in 2017 ................................................................................................... 86 Figure 5.11 1127 34th Ave in the 1960s ........................................................................................ 90 Figure 5.12 1127 34th Ave, current day ........................................................................................ 90 Figure 5.13 173 20th Ave, 1970 .................................................................................................... 92 Figure 5.14