The McLeod Residence was an art cooperative and gallery based in the Belltown area of

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. It closed in October 2008. It was opened in December 2006 by Lele McLeod (born Leanne Ng) and Buster Butterfield McLeod (born Erik Benson of Seattle's Robot Co-op & 43 Things) as a blended gathering place for members interested in art, technology, and networking. Both cofounders legally changed their names as part of the launch. The McLeod Residence occupied the second floor of a two-story mixed-use building in Belltown. The space was used for a six-room sale gallery, a bar open for members-only events, and a social club. Memberships cost $75 per year or $300 lifetime, or were granted in exchange for other mutually-agreed arrangements. The gallery emphasized socialization and technology in unconventional ways. A touch-screen photo booth
took visitors' pictures and immediately uploaded them to

Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...

. Two "mirrors" by

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hung in the bathrooms, constantly taking photos and presenting them as

photomosaic In the field of photographic imaging, a photographic mosaic, also known under the term Photomosaic, is a picture (usually a photograph) that has been divided into (usually equal sized) tiled sections, each of which is replaced with another phot ...

s of previous photos. Due to difficulties in complying with local fire codes, the McLeod Residence's owners announced that they would close their current gallery effective October 31, 2008. The owners said they would seek a new location. As of September 2010, the McLeod Residence has not been reopened in a new location. A cocktail bar and gallery, The Upstairs, opened in the south half of the residence in December 2011.BelltownPeople
, "New Belltown Watering Hole, The Upstairs, Opens Tonight"

Notable events

On March 2, 2007, an installation called ''Seattle Notables'' focused on the many local celebrities of Seattle including

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...

Paul Allen Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American business magnate, computer programmer, researcher, investor, and philanthropist. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation with childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which h ...

, "Juan the Frye Apartment Guy", and the

Mariner Moose The Mariner Moose is the team mascot of the Seattle Mariners, a Major League Baseball team. He is an anthropomorphic moose who mainly appears and performs during Mariners home games at T-Mobile Park; he additionally makes several hundred appearan ...

. Local artists produced photographs, paintings, and coasters featuring the various notables. The Lashes play Bumbershoot 2007 - 03

On May 17, 2007, the McLeod Residence hosted a benefit for Eric Howk, a member of Seattle band

The Lashes The Lashes were a Seattle-based power pop band that formed in 2000 and became inactive in 2008. In 2004, the Lashes released the ''Stupid Stupid'' EP, produced by John Goodmanson, on Lookout! Records. Goodmanson also produced their debut album, ...

, who was seriously injured in an accident. Donations collected at the event raised money to help cover Eric's medical bills. In June 2007,

installed two "McLeod Mirrors" in the McLeod Residence's restrooms. These mirrors, part of a limited edition of 100, are built using off-the-shelf computer hardware and represent onlookers as a

photographic mosaic In the field of photographic imaging, a photographic mosaic, also known under the term Photomosaic, is a picture (usually a photograph) that has been divided into (usually equal sized) tiled sections, each of which is replaced with another phot ...

of previous onlookers. Members of the public may purchase a McLeod Mirror for $6,000. The mirrors were later integrated with additional interactive pieces in a July 2007 show entitled ''Interactivity''.

References

External links

McLeod Residence WebsiteSeattle Weekly Article about the McLeod Residence
from the ''

Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The newspaper was foun ...

''
Screen capture of McLeod Residence mentioned in GQ magazineMcLeod Residence
on Myspace {{Belltown, Seattle Art museums and galleries in Washington (state) Defunct art museums and galleries in the United States Art museums and galleries established in 2006 Art museums and galleries disestablished in 2008 2006 establishments in Washington (state) 2008 disestablishments in Washington (state) Belltown, Seattle