History of Beacon Hill, Seattle
Our next neighborhood history highlight is one that is a melting pot of cultures. It is also a neighborhood that is typically referred to as two separate neighborhoods as they each are very different. The neighborhood we’re talking about is Beacon Hill.
Aptly named for being situated 350 feet in elevation, Beacon Hill got its name in 1889 by M. Hardwood Young, a real estate developer who built a streetcar line that connected the neighborhood to downtown. A large reservoir and adjacent land later became Jefferson Park and Golf course. One of its most distinguishable buildings in Beacon Hill is the 16-story Pacific Medical Center. This was once a US Marine hospital and built in 1930. It later became a business park, once housing Amazon.
Beacon Hill spans southeast of downtown Seattle. The most northern part of the neighborhood is called North Beacon Hill. North Beacon Hill’s residents grew rapidly when Amazon was housed at the Pac Med Center. Now many residents flock to North Beacon Hill to take in the views. Situated on top of the hill, the neighborhood offers sweeping views of downtown and Elliot Bay.
In 1895, a former governor named Eugene Semple had proposed digging a canal from Elliot Bay to Lake Washington, by way of Beacon Hill. In 1901, work started and ultimately completed the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which connects Puget Sound, Salmon Bay, Lake Union, and Lake Washington. However, the work didn’t stop there. The area between First Hill and Beacon Hill created a barrier between Seattle and Rainier Valley. Therefore, streets were regraded and the regraded forced a bridge to be built at the top of the hill on 12th Avenue. This bridge would later be named as the Jose P. Rizal bridge. Just north of the bridge is the Jose Rizal park, which is a 9.6-acre park overlooking downtown. Named after the famous Filipino Nationalist, this is just one of many nods to Beacon Hill’s diversity.
According to a 2000 census, nearly three fourths of Beacon Hill residents were born outside of the US. And 60% of residents speak a language other than English at home. Beacon Hill is also home to several landmarks and historical homes. El Centro de la Raza, known for its social and civil rights organization that serves the Latino community, first started out as a defunct school in which activists protested the defunding of an education program for adults due to a struggling city. The Turner-Koepf house, built in 1883 by Judge E.A. Turner, is believed to be the first home built in Beacon Hill. It was later sold in 1923 to the Ladies Improvement Club, founded in 1912.
As a former resident of Beacon Hill, I can attest to its diverse culture and rich history. Beacon Hill has always been a hidden gem of Seattle. Bounded by the north on South Dearborn Street, Rainier Avenue and Cheasty Boulevard to the east, I5 to the west, and Boeing Access Road to the south, Beacon Hill is truly a must see.