Community Blogs
Friends of Yesler Swamp and the UW Botanic Gardens
Block Party
Washington Park Arboretum
Ray Larson
Mary Kollar
Lake Washington Clean Up
Imogen Cunningham
Jody Hall
JaK’s Grill
Fran Bigelow
Environmental Works
Waterfront Activities Center
Bob Flennaugh
The East Seattle area borders Lake Washington and includes such neighborhoods as First Hill, Capitol Hill, Madison Park, Portage Bay and Roanoke. It also includes Washington Park, a neighborhood of historic homes that includes Hill-Crest, the official residence of UW President Michael K. Young and his family.
Some Neighborhood Notables
Since 1996, the Capitol Hill Block Party has showcased Northwest and national bands over three days in Seattle’s South Capitol Hill neighborhood. Proceeds support KEXP (www.kexp.org), a non-commercial public radio station licensed by the UW; The Vera Project (www.theveraproject.org); various other charities; and the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Washington Park Arboretum, with a dynamic assortment of plants on 230 acres found nowhere else, borders the neighborhood of Madison Park. It is jointly managed by the University of Washington and the city of Seattle.
The cleanup of desperately polluted Lake Washington (once referred to as “Lake Stinko”) was a boon to the environment and a model for scientific and political collaboration. In 1955, W. Thomas Edmondson, UW zoology professor, sounded the first alarm.
In 1964, Husky Marching Band enthusiast Bob Flennaugh became the first African American to graduate from the University of Washington’s School of Dentistry. He opened his private practice on Seattle’s First Hill and later joined the UW’s dental faculty. In 1970, Flennaugh became the first African American appointed to the UW Board of Regents.
UW alumna Imogen Cunningham opened her first portrait studio on First Hill in September, 1910. Cunningham was one of the foremost photographers of the 20th century, and Cunningham Hall Women’s Center on the UW Seattle campus was built in her honor in 1919 to recognize women’s contributions to Washington state. It was a gathering spot for suffragettes.
The Waterfront Activities Center, located directly behind Husky Stadium on Union Bay and the Montlake Cut, offers canoe and rowboat rentals to the general public.
Capitol Hill resident Mary Kollar (B.A., ‘65; M.A., ’81) is a retired high school English teacher who has worked with the Puget Sound Writing Project and served as co-director of the Center for Capable Youth (now the Robinson Center for Young Scholars). Besides volunteering in schools and senior centers, Kollar spreads the gospel of poetry through a wooden poem box in front of her house.
With a master’s in Urban Horticulture from the UW, Ray Larson splits his time between managing the 1.5 acre grounds at Hill-Crest and serving as lead gardener for UW East Campus.
Boosting Local Economies
Environmental Works, a non-profit architectural firm providing affordable architecture and planning services to some of the Seattle area’s neediest populations, was formed 40 years ago by UW architecture professor Bob Small and students in response to urban renewal programs taking hold across the nation. It is located in a converted firehouse on Capitol Hill.
Fran’s Chocolates got its start at a small storefront on East Madison, where UW business alum Fran Bigelow created the first test market for her famous cocoa dusted truffles.
Cupcake Royal, founded by Jody Hall, a graduate of the UW Foster School of Business Executive Development Program, opened its first outlet in the Madrona neighborhood in 2003.
Jak’s Grill in Laurelhurst is the second of three neighborhood restaurants started by Ken Hughes and his business partner, John, both UW economics graduates. Ken is proud of the restaurant’s local roots and the fact it supports roughly 100 employees who work in the Jak’s community.
Many technologies developed at the University of Washington have now transferred to the private sector to become East Seattle start-up companies, including:
- Ventri Point in Capitol Hill – Dedicated to improving the diagnosis of heart disease.
- Arzeda, located in Eastlake – Uses new technology to engineer enzymes not found in nature.
- Impel Neuropharma in the Broadway neighborhood – Developed a “nose to brain” delivery device for pharmaceuticals.