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Open house: Shelf Life project tells stories of those who live and love the Central District

A group of artists — “photographers, artists, librarians, historians, filmmakers, youth media educators, and youth media makers” — has turned a former sandwich shop next to the Red Apple at 23rd and Jackson into a “community story booth.”

Shelf Life: Open House

Sunday, Shelf Life will hold an open house to show some of the stories collected and share some new ones in an ongoing project to record the lives of the people who call the Central District home:

Shelf Life is a community story project motivated by the rapid change taking place in Seattle’s Central Area neighborhood. We are gathering and sharing the stories of the people who live and work in the Central Area; stories about the neighborhood, its history, its struggles, its innovation, the change it is now experiencing, and how residents are impacted by that change.

In 2016, Vulcan paid $30.9 million for the shopping center land around 23rd and Jackson with plans for a mixed-use, multi-family 570-unit development. A wave of development along the 23rd Ave corridor makes the Shelf Life project even more poignant. At 23rd and Union, efforts at moving forward with projects focused on “inclusive development” are stalled at Midtown Center but moving full speed ahead at the Liberty Bank building project.

The 23rd and Jackson Shelf Life project continues through June with more events and presentations planned through the duration. Eventually, the project powered by King County’s 4 Culture and partners including developer Vulcan and the neighboring Red Apple grocery store will be archived by the Seattle Public Library. To learn more and see some of the stories collected by the project, check out shelflifestories.com.

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