Belltown

If you are standing on the south side of the Space Needle and look straight down, you will see a 63 square block neighborhood called Belltown. Nestled between the Space Needle and Pike Place Market, its core is at Second Avenue and Bell Street.

Nearly every form of downtown life can be found here, from high-tech professionals to panhandlers. Belltown streets house some of the city’s trendiest clubs and bars, including the Crocodile Cafe on Second Avenue. As you walk the streets, you will find Moore Theatre, an historic concert hall built in 1907 on Second Avenue, upscale condos facing Elliott Bay that stretch into the sky on First Avenue, the majestic Olympic Sculpture Park that graces the sky on Western Avenue, and a few blocks east – contemporary condos and artists’ lofts. These, along with bohemian restaurants, idiosyncratic boutiques, and a lively night-life, are Belltown’s claim to fame.

Belltown History

Belltown once sat on one of the tallest hills in Seattle, Denny Hill. The hill rose north of Pine Street between 2nd and 5th Avenues, descending gradually across the land claimed by William Bell. (William Bell left Seattle in 1855, and had little to do with his namesake land claim.)

Due to the location of the hill, Belltown was confined to a somewhat small area. In fact, the hill largely isolated it from the Downtown Seattle districts to the south. Then, in the early decades of the twentieth century, a large and extremely difficult construction project transformed the hill into what is now generally flat terrain. Once the hill was removed, businesses slowly began to fill the “Regrade”. The cheap land attracted hotels, apartments, warehouses, and car dealerships. The vacant land was filled with “jewel box” auditoriums in which theatre owners from throughout the Northwest could preview new releases.

The next major step was taken in the 1970′s after the city approved new zoning to encourage the construction of a high-rise residential district. Many artists and musicians decided to take advantage of the low rent area to establish what would soon be a mini-Soho of studios, cafes, galleries, and clubs.

In the early 1980′s, Martin Selig decided to launch a boom of office construction in the area. The condo craze and popular real estate market of the Reagan years promoted more construction, nearly bankrupting developers. Now, the area is the perfect mixture of upscale living and bohemian elements. The area of Belltown has come a long way, and is now one of the most sought after areas to live in Downtown Seattle.