CHS Street Critic is a new semi-regular column focused on street level architecture and design from a longtime CHS contributor.

19th Ave is Capitol Hill’s most eastern shopping street. Its buildings house an eclectic mix of independent businesses ranging from professional services, health care, education, restaurants, to a martial arts studio, intermixed with single and multifamily housing. Part of 19th’s vibrancy and commercial health lies in the daily contribution made by one of the two private school’s that are proximate to it, adding some 1,400 students. A mix of children and teenagers (who either walk, drive, or are dropped off), faculty and staff swell the activity at the intersection of Aloha and 19th, the neighborhood’s busiest. Despite the twice daily ritual of pick-up and drop-off, the intervening hours have a leisurely aspect to them, and are mostly the domain of locals. All of these qualities of 19th Ave serve as a model, I believe, in how a diversity of uses and housing options in a predominately single family neighborhood add richness to the residents’ lives.

The most concentrated mix of uses and housing types are found in the middle of the stretch between Madison and Galer. At 19th and Republican, El Cuento Spanish Immersion School and The Country Doctor Community Clinic face each other in quiet repose. El Cuento is one of several educational establishments along 19th and is tucked into the ground floor of an apartment building of early 20th Century Vintage.

The Country Doctor has been on the Hill since 1971 and provides a full range of primary care medical services for folks of all ages, cultures, and incomes. The clinic occupies several buildings that share some of the architectural elements of El Cuento (bay windows and ground floor  storefront the most obvious). Part of County Doctor is actually two joined buildings —  a single story and two story structure. The taller of the pair is a rare commercial structure whose size as more a response to fulfilling immediate needs rather than investment prerogatives. Its abundant glazing relative to its small stature gives it a proud presence on the street. 

On the north end of the clinic’s block is the recently completed 19th and Mercer; if all new development could be as architecturally distinguished and house such a fine range of tenants, the debate over increasing density in neighborhoods might not be as pitched. At greater liberty to experiment with tenanting and design than those building along the more costly Pike-Pine or Broadway corridors, the developer of 19th and Mercer was able to give us a finely crafted architectural design and creative commercial tenanting, including: includes: Hello Robin, Molly Moon, the Herbalist, Cone and Steiner, and Tallulah’s. All are Seattle originals, many of the Hill itself. 19th’s (relatively) lower rental prices not only allowed these local retailers to open shop, but the (relatively) lower rents for the apartments offer an alternative for those wanting to live in a new building on the Hill.

Heading further north along 19th we find a classic Capitol Hill mixed-use building: abundant, wood-framed ground floor glazing with inset entry doors, continuous transom windows, and simple, brick-clad apartments above. This is a building in transition: long-time and locally famous Kingfish is now gone making space for a new addition to the 19th Ave food scene, Ernest Loves Agnes. In the same building and a few doors down one finds a martial arts studio and Moonjar, a company whose mission is “to bring financial literacy to children and families around the globe”. Pretty heady stuff for a neighborhood shopping street and great to have in the mix. Moonjar’s neighbor is perhaps19th’s most pervasive export: Fuel Coffee. Owner Dani Cone has not only found success with this — the first of her three cafes — but also with Cone and Steiner and High Five Pie. One of the Hill’s great entrepreneurs, Dani’s business, culinary, and design sensibilities are the foundation to her continued success. 

Across the street from Fuel is Monsoon, one of Seattle’s most lauded pan-Asian restaurants and curator of a famous wine list. It recently doubled its size and added delightful roof deck dining, nestled in a canopy of mature trees. Monsoon’s footprint follows the slightly meandering sidewalk, furthering its alliance to the landscape. The parking lot to the south of Monsoon will soon be home to a very promising new mixed use building, in the vein of 19th and Mercer.

Across Roy is the Russian Community Center. A former cinema (the extant ticket windows and sign on the north wall are clues), this venue hosts everything from swing dance lessons to bicycle accessory shows. An unusual building to find in this neighborhood, a robust renovation could return it to former splendor, reflecting an era when spending one’s leisure time at the theatre was a more prominent part of everyday life.

This being Seattle, 19th could not be satisfied with one coffee house so we have another — Tully’s at the corner of 19th and Aloha. An important neighborhood meeting spot, Tully’s is in what at one time was a grocery store. Now, its latte-toting patrons from Holy Names (three blocks east) are no doubt key to its continued viability. I can only hope that the same type of progressive developer who brought us 19th and Mercer sees the potential of this prime corner spot (half of which is a surface parking lot) by building a compact, mixed-use project (while retaining the Tully’s, if they so choose).

The 19th and Aloha intersection is home to a dental practice, hair salon, and the first Vios, another exported neighborhood favorite. Vios’s success is attributable not only to its fine cuisine but also to its special accommodation for families: it has a large children’s play area at the rear of the restaurant. East on Aloha is Mary Megan Olander, renowned florist and gift shop  as well as two of the many architect’s office’s along 19th. To the west of the intersection is 19th’s architectural crown jewel, St Joseph’s Catholic Church. A building worthy of a dedicated blog post, this art nouveau/moderne edifice is a personal Seattle favorite. Just to its south and on the same block is its eponymous primary school. 

Further north one finds more professional offices: realtor, physical therapy, architecture, interiors, as well as the former home of the recently departed manufacturer of Luna Sandals (yes, shoes were made on 19th — they have since moved to Queen Anne). The mix of uses begins to thin out as one approaches 19th’s termination at Interlaken Park. There is an intriguing little corner building that may at one time been a commercial space. Across from the mystery building at 19th and Highland is one of many 1920’s vintage apartments, which range from garden apartments set back from the street in well-appointed landscapes to more urban buildings that hug the sidewalk. It is worth noting that most of these apartments have either limited of no parking, yet the residents of both home and apartment seem to find ample space to store their automobiles. 

One ultimately arrives at Steven’s Elementary, Interlaken Park, and the turn-around for the number 12 bus and, at one time, a street car. Which came first — 19th’s subtle and endearing variety of uses that needed streetcar support; or, a street car that gave merchants the confidence to hang a shingle. I have heard that Seattle’s trolley buses evolved from our once thriving street car network — wherever there was once the latter, you now have the former. On Capitol Hill that story holds merit;  with few exceptions all of the major and minor commercial corridors have trolley buses. Streetcars were (and still are) a great urban design tool. They give birth to and/or support denser corridors and the range of uses and building types as seen of 19th Ave. All of this mixed up in a neighborhood composed mostly of single family homes, but somehow seeming to get along swimmingly and serving as a great model for how our city can manage our growth.