![University Ave and 41st Street erroneous street signs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/University_Ave_and_41st_Street_erroneous_street_signs.jpg)
University Way Northeast, colloquially The Ave (no period; pronounced ), is a major street and commercial district in the
University 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 o ...
, located near the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
(UW) campus. Once "a department store eight blocks long," The Ave has gradually turned into what now resembles an eight-block-long global food court.
[Lehrke] The story of The Ave reflects the dynamics of many urban neighborhoods and the social and economic problems of countless American cities, though it is also a crossroads of diverse subcultures. It is patronized by many of the nearly 96,900 students, faculty, and staff of the UW and by a population of homeless or transient individuals, most of whom are youth.
University Way NE is a collector (tertiary) arterial, running from just below NE Pacific Street in the south to NE Ravenna Boulevard and
Cowen Park
Ravenna Park and Cowen Park comprise a single contiguous recreation and green space in the Ravenna neighborhood of Seattle, Washington in the United States. These public parks encompass the ravine with a maximum depth of through which Ravenna Cr ...
in the north, where it turns into Cowen Place NE.
The street had been known as "The Ave" since the early 20th century and while it was no longer officially an avenue, the nickname stuck.
History
Originally platted as Columbus Avenue, the street was renamed 14th Avenue after the neighborhood was annexed by the city in 1891. Locals came to feel that a numbered street name was inappropriate because of the thoroughfare's importance, so in 1919 the University Commercial Club held a contest that decided the new name of the street: "University Way." The street once carried streetcars operated by the
Seattle Municipal Street Railway
The Seattle Municipal Street Railway was a city-owned streetcar network that served the city of Seattle, Washington and its suburban neighborhoods from 1919 to 1941. It was a successor to the horse-drawn Seattle Street Railway established in 1884 ...
that ceased in 1941.
Vitality
![Seattle - Shiga's 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Seattle_-_Shiga%27s_01.jpg)
Late in the 20th century the Ave declined significantly, due in significant part to the more competitive planning, capital investment, and popularity of
University Village University Village may mean:
* University Village, Albany, California
*University Village, Chicago, Illinois
*University Village, Grand Forks, North Dakota
* University Village, New York
* University Village, Riverside, California
*University Villa ...
and
Northgate Mall. From 2002 to 2004, the city and the neighborhood made some steps countering this trend by repaving the Ave and adding benches,
bus bulb
A bus bulb, also called a bus boarder, bus border, bumpout, bus cape, or a kerb outstand is an arrangement by which a sidewalk or pavement is extended outwards for a bus stop; typically the bus bulb replaces roadway that would otherwise be part o ...
s, and period lighting. The Ave remains at the heart of campus life for university students, and is filled with busy restaurants (mostly inexpensive), new and used book and record stores, clothing stores, and movie theatres, most densely between NE 41st and NE 50th Streets. Among these are the Varsity Theatre (1940) and
University Book Store
University Book Store is an independent and privately owned bookstore headquartered in the University District of Seattle, Washington, United States. University Book Store began serving the University of Washington in 1900, and is the oldest an ...
(1924).
The Ave is so full of salon-style establishments that it has become its own sort of macro
third place
In sociology, the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). Examples of third places include churches, cafes, clubs, public ...
. This is exemplified by the
coffeehouse
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...
culture of the middle and lower Ave - with at least six cafes on the Ave or its alleys - by the remaining used bookstores with late hours, and by the annual Street Fair and weekly Saturday Farmers Market. The Ave is also home to one of Seattle's Neighborhood Service Centers, outposts of the city government originally known as "little city halls." Still, The Ave is also plagued with the problems of urban neighborhoods, including
homelessness
Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are:
* living on the streets, also kn ...
, drug use, and crime. A population of teenagers and young adults, often described as runaways, are referred to as "Ave Rats".
The Ave is glorified by the Seattle hip hop group
Blue Scholars
Blue Scholars is an American hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington, created in 2002 while the members, DJ Sabzi (Saba Mohajerjasbi) and MC Geologic (George Quibuyen), were students at University of Washington.
The name "Blue Scholars" is ...
in their song "The Ave" on their self-titled album. "Fuck class, get your education on the Ave" is a repeated lyric, as they portray the Ave as the last true cultural melting pot of Seattle. The business communities "improvements" of 2002 are lamented ("whatever happened to the avenue before the summer of 2002"), as they feel the unique street society of students/poets/druggies was thrown away for a
conformist
Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms, politics or being like-minded. Norms are implicit, specific rules, shared by a group of individuals, that guide their interactions with others. People often cho ...
corporate
A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and re ...
business facade. Blue Scholars also reference several businesses on The Ave, including
University Book Store
University Book Store is an independent and privately owned bookstore headquartered in the University District of Seattle, Washington, United States. University Book Store began serving the University of Washington in 1900, and is the oldest an ...
and the used record store 'Second Time Around,' now Al's Music, Video, and Games.
Problems
The Ave is also the major hangout for
homeless
Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are:
* living on the streets, also kn ...
and transient
teens
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the ...
and
young adults
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
in Seattle. The local seasonal and year-round homeless population, referred to as "Ave Rats",
is notorious for being a particularly
countercultural
A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...
crowd. Their numbers have dwindled somewhat in recent years due to increased police patrols, tougher enforcement of
loitering
Loitering is the act of remaining in a particular public place for a prolonged amount of time without any apparent purpose.
While the laws regarding loitering have been challenged and changed over time, loitering is still illegal in various j ...
laws, and designation of an
Alcohol Impact Area (along with Broadway on
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
and parts of
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
neighborhoods).
Another factor contributing to the homeless youth's decline was the extension of organized, gang-related criminal activity on the Ave in recent years. Several groups, whose signature
graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
"tags" can be seen throughout the U. District, contributed to the transition in drug sales from marijuana (formerly sold by homeless youth and transients) to include the organized sale of methamphetamine and cocaine. This transition has resulted in multiple incidents of gun-related violence, as well as obvious deals occurring in broad daylight.
The U. District has seen these problems recur. As reported in the ''University District Herald'' in 1921, librarian "Miss Mary Baker ask
dfor police protection from gangs of boys" who were causing what is today described as vandalism and harassment. Librarian Clara Van Sant wrote: "Men hang outside the door to smoke, gossip, and pass comments to ladies coming into the library," behavior that apparently continued through the early 1920s. Recent declines have been offset by gradually increasing social and economic problems.
"We're not an organized shopping district. We're very much like Main Street America," said an independent retail business owner on the Ave in 2001.
[Kim; Goedde] "It's not a
mall
Mall commonly refers to a:
* Shopping mall
* Strip mall
* Pedestrian street
* Esplanade
Mall or MALL may also refer to:
Places Shopping complexes
* The Mall (Sofia) (Tsarigradsko Mall), Sofia, Bulgaria
* The Mall, Patna, Patna, Bihar, India
...
."
Architecture
Ye College Inn
The College Inn (formerly known as Ye College Inn) is a nationally recognized historic building in Seattle. It is located at the Northeast corner of University Way ne and NE 40th Street in the University District one block west of the University o ...
, a
Tudor Revival
Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
building at the northeast corner of NE 40th Street near the south end of The Ave, is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. The building was built in 1909 and added to the National Register in 1982.
The
University Heights School
The University Heights Center is a former school building in the University District of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is located at University Way and 50th Street.
The building was opened in 1903 for University Heights Elementary Sch ...
building on the upper Ave opened in 1902. Originally there were several other buildings on the block (the west side of The Ave between NE 50th and NE 52nd Streets), but with successive expansions, the school became the only building on its block. It was briefly known as the Morse School in 1903; from 1974, Alternative Elementary School #2 used two-thirds of the building. Its exterior was declared a
city landmark in 1977. It was closed as a school building in 1989, with the alternative school moving to the Decatur School. Since 1990 it has housed the University Heights Center.
The Department of Neighborhoods' inventory of historically important sites, which is not exhaustive (for example, it omits the University Heights School) lists 37 properties on University Way. Most of these are either apartment buildings or retail establishments, but the list also includes current and former theaters and the University District post office.
Historical sites: Search results for University Way
Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Accessed April 18, 2008
See also
* Last Exit on Brooklyn
The Last Exit on Brooklyn was a Seattle University District coffeehouse established in 1967 by Irv Cisski. It is known for its part in the history of Seattle's counterculture, for its pioneering role in establishing Seattle's coffee culture, ...
* Telegraph Avenue
Telegraph Avenue is a street that begins, at its southernmost point, in the midst of the historic downtown district of Oakland, California, and ends, at its northernmost point, at the southern edge of the University of California, Berkeley cam ...
, University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
(UCB), Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
* University Avenue
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
* University District, University of Washington, 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 Square, New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, New York
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
''Right Turn'' is "a student-run publication at the University of Washington that gives voice to conservative and libertarian views on campus." -
* Deutsch, Joan, Local News Editor. (206)464-2214. Quote from ''The Seattle Times Style Rules'', in-house publication. The Seattle Times since 1896 asthead, editorial page May cf. Karen Cater, News Editor, same phone.
*
Dorpat referenced ''Seattle: Now and Then Vols. 1, 2, and 3''. Seattle: Tartu Publications, 1984, 1988;
Walt Crowley and Paul Dorpat, "The Ave: Streetcars to Street Fairs", typescript dated 1995 in possession of Walt Crowley and Paul Dorpat, Seattle, Washington;
Walt Crowley, ''Rites of Passage''. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1995;
Cal McCune, ''From Romance to Riot: A Seattle Memoir''. Seattle: Cal McCune, 1996;
Roy Nielsen, ''UniverCity: The City Within City: The Story of the University District'' Seattle: University Lions Foundation, ca. 1986;
Clark Humphrey, ''Loser: the Real Seattle Music Story''. Portland, OR: Feral House, 1995.
* Kelton, Alana, News Editor. (206)448-8154. Quote from ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer In-House Style Guide'' intranet reference tool. Seattle P-I since 1863 asthead, editorial page
*
*
*
Alumni magazine.
* Samson, Karl
"Big Time Brewery and Alehouse"
Retrieved November 15, 2005, April 21, 2006. Links t
"Seattle's Original Brewpub"
Selection from Samson, Karl. ''Frommer's Seattle 2006'' itle incremented annually each January ity Wiley, 2006.
*
High-Resolution Version
PDF format, 16.1 MB
Medium-Resolution Version
PDF format, 1.45 MB January 12, 2004.
Low-Resolution Version
PDF format, 825 KB January 12, 2004.
"Planned Arterials Map Legend Definitions"
PDF format. January 12, 2004.
The high resolution version is good for printing, 11 x 17. The low and medium resolution versions are good for quicker online viewing.
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Further reading
*Jon Marmor
"Once Seattle's Second Main Street, the Ave. Has Fallen on Hard Times. Can the UW and Local Community Save What's Left?", ''Columns'' (University of Washington alumni magazine), December 1995. Analysis.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ave, The
Streets in Seattle
Shopping districts and streets in the United States
University District, Seattle