The Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute is a cultural, community, and artistic center that focuses on

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

art, artists, and audiences. The center is located at 104 17th Avenue South, in the Central District of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, in the United States; and is owned and operated by the

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

LANGSTON Seattle, a not-profit organization. Constructed as a

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

in 1915, designed by Marcus Priteca, the Jewish congregation sold the building to the City of Seattle in 1969, and following refurbishment, was repurposed as an arts centre. The center is named in honour of

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

, an author and leader of the Harlem Renaissance. The building is designated as a Seattle landmark. The building was previously known as the Yesler-Atlantic Community Center, the Langston Hughes Cultural Center, The Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, and the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center.

Building history

The

Byzantine Revival Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Orthod ...

style

, completed in 1915, was designed by

B. Marcus Priteca Benjamin Marcus Priteca (23 December 1889 – 1 October 1971) was a Scottish architect. He is best known for designing theatres for Alexander Pantages. Early life Benjamin Marcus Priteca was born into a Jewish family in Glasgow on 23 December 1 ...

for the

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

congregation Chevra Bikur Cholim, now

Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath Congregation Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath is a synagogue in the Seward Park neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. It is the oldest synagogue in Washington state. History The congregation was founded in 1891. The Bikur Cholim synagogue at 104 ...

. Priteca completed his plans for the building in early 1913; the synagogue was dedicated in August 1915. The lower story of the addition on the south side of the building dates from 1961, the upper story from 1971. Priteca is the architect of many theaters in the United States. The congregation sold the building to the City of Seattle in 1969, originally under the

Model Cities Program The Model Cities Program was an element of U.S. President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society and War on Poverty. The concept was presented by labor leader Walter Reuther to President Johnson in an off-the-record White House meeting on May 20, 1965. In ...

. It became part of Parks and Recreation in 1972. The interior of the auditorium was renovated in 1971: a balcony area was removed, extending auditorium seating further back. In 1991 an addition was made to the east side of the auditorium, as well as seismic retrofit improvements; another addition was made to the southwest corner of the auditorium in 2003. The additions to the building have been for office and support spaces, and to provide barrier-free access.

Organizational history

Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center was founded in 1969, originally under the

. The city purchased the building in 1971, intending it to house the city's first African-American theater, Black Arts/West, and a minority film training center, Oscar Productions. However, the renovations at that time took so long that those organizations found other quarters. Still, the institute became "Ground Zero" for Seattle's hip hop scene and played a comparable role for local African American theatrical talent. From its inception into the early 21st century, LHPAI had "a split personality" as a "rec center for neighbor kids and families," strongly associated with Seattle's African American community,

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

also has aspired to be an arts organization, where serious actors, dancers and poets perform and train." Deriving its funds from the city—an unusual situation for a Seattle arts organization—meant it was free of concerns about meeting payroll and paying rent. However, it also led to a mandate that, in the words of former institute coordinator Steve Sneed, could emphasize "arts and crafts, not high-quality arts." In 2001, the Parks and Recreation gave the institute a mandate to move more strongly toward the latter goal. LHPAI's artistic director, Jacqueline Moscou began an "ambitious" program to train young actors in 2004. Concerns were expressed during the transition that LHPAC might lose its "open-door, neighborhood feel" and that "the African-American focus will be diluted." The latter concern came, in part, because the Parks Department brought in Manuel Cawaling, an

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

, as the institute's managing director. Moscou, an African American, was placed on

administrative leave Administrative leave is a temporary leave from a job assignment, with pay and benefits intact. Generally, the term is reserved for employees of non-business institutions such as schools, police, and hospitals. The definition of administrative lea ...

in October 2007 after several accusations that she had "made racially offensive and intimidating comments to and about her Asian-American colleagues". She was reinstated at the beginning of March 2008, after a "public outcry."

References

External links

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Performing Arts Center
Langston Hughes African American Film Festival. {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Seattle Byzantine Revival synagogues Central District, Seattle Former synagogues in Washington (state) Jews and Judaism in Seattle Performing arts centers in Washington (state) Synagogues completed in 1915 Theatres in Washington (state) Tourist attractions in Seattle 1969 establishments in Washington (state) 1915 establishments in Washington (state)