Seattle Historical Sites

The St. George Hotel was built in 1910 near the thriving Squire Park neighrbhood.  It was well located on Yesler way not far from Broadway, close to many streetcar lines.  It is notable for its extravagant Renaissance Revival ornament.  During the first half of the twentieth century the hotel was a residence of diverse groups, as it is in an area where Asians and African-Americans were able to live. The building was particularly noted as an important part of the Central Area's music scene in the 1930s, when community musicians gathered in the basement.  For over fifty years it has been the home of the Seattle Urban League.

New downtown building regulations following the great Fire of 1889 encouraged development to the east, as did the plethora of new cable and streetcar lines. The Yesler Way cable car line to Lake Washington opened in 1888 going to Lake Washington and by 1891, street car lines were running to South Seattle, Madison Park, Fremont, Phinney Ridge, Green Lake and Ballard. The following year lines were running along Rainier Avenue past Columbia City, to Broadway, First Hill, and Beacon Hill.  Census figures reveal that as early as the 1890s Squire Park and the larger Central Area were home to many racial and ethnic minorities.  Nearby  institutions (discussed below) reflect the large Jewish and Japanese populations. Since the mid-20^th century the Central Area has been particularly connected with the African-American community.  The great demand for military-industrial workers during World War II attracted many workers from the East and South, including African Americans.  Most of those who came to Seattle settled in the Central Area, one of the few locations where they could feel welcome and could purchase property.