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HERITAGE SITES

Northwest African American Museum
2300 S Massachusetts Street, 206.518.6000
After many years of planning and development, the Northwest African American Museum is now open in the historic Colman School at 23rd Avenue S and S Massachusetts Street in Seattle's Central Area. The Museum features regional history, visual arts, crafts, music, literary and culinary culture of African Americans in the Northwest and beyond. www.naamnw.org

King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue, 206.296.0135
<< © Linda Beaumont and Douglas Cooper, King County Courthouse Rotunda 2005. Photo: Spike Mafford, courtesy of Public Art 4Culture.
In 1986, the King County Council voted to change the namesake of King County, to commemorate the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., rather than William Rufus DeVane King (Vice President under Franklin Pierce), for whom the county was originally named in 1852. The historic King County Courthouse entry and main lobby were recently restored, and artist Linda Beaumont created a terrazzo and marble floor design titled Truth Crushed To The Earth Will Rise Again which features the 1964 March on Washington. www.4culture.org/publicart

Seattle Art Museum
100 University Street, 206.654.3100
Jacob Lawrence "The Studio" 1977, courtesy of Seattle Art Museum>>
The Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence Gallery honors the legacy of these two renowned artists, and features exhibits highlighting the work of the Lawrences, artists with similar interests, as well as contemporary artists of color. One of the great figurative painters of the 20th century, Lawrence joined the University of Washington School of Art faculty in 1971, and completed many of his later works such as the "Builder's Series" while living and teaching in Seattle. SAM also has an outstanding African art collection curated by Pam McClusky. www.seattleartmuseum.org

The Museum of Flight
9404 East Marginal Way S, 206.764.5720
<< WWII "Rosies" courtesy of the Museum of Flight.
Long term exhibit The Boeing Story includes experiences of African American men and women workers in Seattle during the World War II era. The Personal Courage Wing features the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the U.S. Army's first African American pilots, who flew in combat in Italy during WWII. www.museumofflight.org

Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center
104 - 17th Avenue S, 206.684.4757
Named in honor of an acclaimed poet of the Harlem Renaissance, this former synagogue now serves as a cultural performing arts center, offering classes, events and programs. In addition, the Center hosts a variety of community arts events including dance, music, theater and film productions such as the Northwest African American Film Festival. website

James and Janie Washington Foundation
1816 - 26th Avenue, 206.709.4241
Courtesy of the James & Janie Washington Foundation >>
Renowned sculptor and painter James W. Washington Jr. came to the Seattle area in the 1940s and became associated with the Northwest School of visual artists. The Foundation celebrates Washington's lifetime works, and shares his vision of universal spirituality through the interpretation of his artwork, and preservation of his studio, home and garden. Tours are available by appointment. Washington's public art can also be viewed at several locations in Seattle. www.jameswashington.org

Columbia City Landmark District
Rainier Avenue S between S Alaska Street and S Hudson Street
Columbia City was established in the 1890s when the Rainier Avenue streetcar line was extended south from downtown Seattle. Housing developments such as Holly Park and Rainier Vista constructed nearby in the 1940s increased the neighborhood's ethnic diversity. African American entrepreneurs played key roles in Columbia City's preservation as a landmark district and its revitalization in the late 20th century as a lively urban village. A seasonal farmer's market, ethnic restaurants, art galleries, the Rainier Valley Cultural Center and the Rainier Valley Historical Society all contribute to the area's vitality. www.columbiacityseattle.com

Jimi Hendrix Statue
Broadway Avenue E and E Pine Street
Mid 2008: 2400 S Massachusetts Street
Photo by David Blandford, SCVB >>
A bronze sculpture called "The Electric Lady Studio Guitar" by artist Daryl Smith depicts Jimi Hendrix playing a Stratocaster. The statue was located for many years in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, and moves in 2008 to the recently renamed Jimi Hendrix Park next to the Northwest African American Museum in the Central District.

Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)
2700 - 24th Avenue East, 206.324.1126
<< Courtesy of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State,Inc.
MOHAI's permanent exhibit Essential Seattle features African American stories and experiences from throughout the city's 150 year history, including profiles of Black pioneers, artists and defense workers. The Black Heritage Society of Washington's collection of photographs and archival materials are housed at MOHAI, and can be viewed by appointment. www.seattlehistory.org and www.blackheritagewa.org

Fort Lawton Historic District, Discovery Park
3801 W Government Way, 206.386.4236
Courtesy of Anthony Powell >>
This former army base served as a major point of embarkation for troops during World War II, but its connection to African American heritage goes back to the early 20th century. Starting in 1909, the base was home to the 25th Infantry Regiment, one of four all-Black regiments in the U.S. military. These African American regiments were known as "Buffalo Soldiers," a name conferred to the troops by Native Americans of the Great Plains. website

Jackson Street
From 1st Avenue to 23rd Avenue
<< Ernestine Anderson, courtesy of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, Inc.
Seattle's jazz scene thrived from the 1920s to the 1960s at clubs such as the Black & Tan and the Blue Note, where members of Local 493, the Segregated Musicians Union, played to packed houses night after night. Ray Charles, Ernestine Anderson and Quincy Jones got their start in Seattle's music scene, as well as Floyd Standifer, Patti Bown, Buddy Catlett and other distinguished musicians known locally and nationally. Author Paul de Barros chronicled this era in his book Jackson Street After Hours, and a sign at 12th Avenue and S Jackson Street, today the center of the Little Saigon neighborhood, commemorates Seattle's jazz history. Venues such as Tula's, the New Orleans, and Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, carry on the tradition of those early clubs. Seattle's Music Map provides an insider's guide to Seattle's music history - find it at www.seattle.gov/music/map.

Seattle Repertory Theatre
155 Mercer Street, Seattle Center, 206.443.2222
August Wilson photo by Chris Bennion >>
Playwright August Wilson presents an unparalleled vision of African American life in his ten-play Century Cycle. Works such as Two Trains Running and King Hedley II were set in Pittsburgh, but several of his plays were written while Wilson resided in Seattle during the last 15 years of his life, where he worked closely with the Seattle Repertory Theatre. Mr. Wilson made his acting debut at the Rep in his 2003 one-man show How I Learned What I Learned, and the street outside the theater was renamed August Wilson Way. www.seattlerep.org

Experience Music Project & Science Fiction Museum
325 Fifth Avenue N at Seattle Center, 206.770.2700
Exhibits highlight African Americans and their contributions to music and science fiction, including Northwest Passage, a timeline of Seattle's music history from the jazz scene on Jackson Street through the early days of the Seattle hip hop scene, Sound and Vision: Artists Tell their Stories, an exhibit with oral histories from music and science fiction greats, and artifacts associated with Jimi Hendrix. www.empsfm.org