Capitol Hill’s St. Joseph School: a century in its school building — and new hopes for a playfield/parking structure

(Image: St. Joseph School)

The kids at Capitol Hill’s St. Joseph School sometimes probably can’t wait to go home and get out of the place but they joined together recently to mark a big milestone. The school marked the 100 year anniversary of its 18th Ave building by recreating a historical photograph of the student body across the ages.

The school has continued to grow with an expansion to the campus about ten years ago and plans for a new playfield structure in the works.

The photographic celebration came on the 100th anniversary of the school building but a few years short of the present-day church structure’s centennial. They’ll mark that milestone in 2030. Continue reading

North Capitol Hill Emergency Communication Hub to hold annual community emergency practice drill

A community group dedicated to helping Capitol Hill neighbors organize in the event of a major catastrophe will hold an emergency drill Sunday afternoon and is looking for volunteers.

The North Capitol Hill Emergency Communication Hub is part of a network of volunteer-run efforts around Seattle dedicated to emergency preparedness.

Sunday, the group will gather in the parking lot of the Seventh Day Adventist Church at 13th and Aloha to practice and spread the word about being ready for emergencies. Continue reading

Capitol Hill church adds front lawn ‘community fridge’ to provide fresh food for those in need

(Image: CHS)

There is something new below the 250-foot-tall bell tower of Capitol Hill’s St. Joseph Parish. Like most things involving mutual aid in Seattle, it is a work in progress.

Last week, the church’s Faith Justice Commission installed a surprising addition to the parish’s front lawn along 19th Ave E. The new “community fridge” is hoped to provide healthy snacks, quick meals, and produce to those who need it, the group’s Mark Petterson, director of Communications and Justice with the parish, tells CHS.

The refrigerator as it is now has a simple shelter built to protect it from the weather and the electricity is handled by a long extension cord. For now, temporary boards provide a walkway to protect the lawn. Continue reading

Brick facade crumbles from 122-year-old Capitol Hill building home to new pottery studio

(Image: CHS)

The masonry facade of a 122-year-old Capitol Hill commercial building home to a new self-service pottery studio crumbled Wednesday night following weeks of icy then extremely wet weather.

Seattle Police and Seattle Fire were sent to the scene at 19th Ave E and E Aloha around 7:30 PM Wednesday after a caller inside the building reported the crumbling wall had tumbled its blue-painted bricks onto the sidewalk. Emergency tape was strung up to cordon off the area after Seattle Fire reported the integrity of the 1900-built structure was sound.

There were no reported injuries. Continue reading

Tiny Spark and Thread wants to help Capitol Hill connect to a gift of art

Online shopping is rarely optimized for building relationships with other artists and customers.

Solia Hermes and Juli Hudson are two local artists who have taken the initiative and opened their own boutique on Capitol Hill, a small start to building community and helping support local artists showcase their work.

Having customers experience E Aloha’s Spark and Thread in person has created a positive impact for the artists to see people appreciate their work and the creations of others featured in the small store.

“Online you’re searching for things versus in person you see all kinds of things that you didn’t expect.” Hudson said. “Meeting the artist changes the relationship people have with the art.” Continue reading

Ready whenever inspiration strikes, new 24-hour pottery studio to open on Capitol Hill

Now at 19th and Aloha

By Jadenne Radoc Cabahug, CHS reporting intern

Seatown Pottery is coming to Capitol Hill in November to offer a 24-hour workspace to allow artists the chance to mold things out of clay — whenever inspiration strikes.

“These are run kind of like a gym membership. Members can come and go whenever they’re able to carve time out in their busy life of juggling kids and work in school and everything,” owner Chelsea Sherman said.

The Capitol Hill location is the newest addition to the school of studios with the original established seven years ago in Redmond. Other locations include Bellevue and Green Lake.

“Adults don’t get an opportunity to be creative and get their hands dirty and kind of relax and recharge,” Sherman said. “The fact that they can come in at three in the morning and we have people that use the space at all hours of the night which is really fun to see.” Continue reading

Latest proposed landmark on Capitol Hill’s Millionaire’s Row would honor legacy of Seattle pioneering businesswoman

(Image: Wikimedia)


 

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Caroline Horton

The grand American Foursquare on 14th Ave E near E Roy, thanks to the clearcutting of Capitol Hill, once had an even grander view. It has waited 116 years to be considered for Seattle landmark protections. Now remembered as the Caroline E. Horton House, one of the remaining unprotected chunks of Capitol Hill’s Millionaire’s Row will finally come before the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board later this month. (UPDATE: Corrected the location mistake. Sorry for the error — that’s what I get from reporting from memory and not looking at a map!)

The old home’s nomination from its most recent owners comes as the Millionaire’s Row neighborhood stretching along 14th Ave E from Volunteer Park won federal recognition — and the protections and tax implications it entails — on the National Register of Historic Places last year.

While many of the now multimillion dollar homes along the street have won landmark status for their immaculate condition as examples of classic Seattle turn of the century architecture, 627 14th Ave E’s story is about the woman who had it built. Continue reading

Another Capitol Hill favorite is closing: Vios to make way for TacoOx and Money Frog on 19th Ave E

(Image: Vios Cafe)

Thomas and Alexander Soukakos in 2015 — “Vios, which means life, became a hub of community and nurturing for families across Seattle as Soukakos raised his son, then two years old. Nearly two decades later, with his son off at college and opening contemporary Greek Omega Ouzeri, Soukakos is ready to turn the page and begin the next chapter of his culinary career.” (Image: CHS)

Another Capitol Hill institution is preparing to serve its final meals. 19th Ave E’s Vios Cafe will grill its “last souvlaki” on Friday, making a New Year’s Eve exit after 17 years in the neighborhood. The restaurant space will welcome an ambitious new food and drink project in the new year.

Like the coming closure of Cafe Presse on 12th Ave, the changes on 19th are part of the lifespan of a successful restaurant with small-scale ownership. Owner Thomas Soukakos is ready to simplify his business life — and travel.

“The downsizing of this upcoming chapter gives Soukakos more time to focus on culinary adventures both at home, and in Greece,” an announcement from Vios on the December 31st closure reads. “With future group excursions in the works, he hopes to continue to share his passion for the Greek cuisine with his customers; taking groups and leading wine and food tours in his native country.”

 

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The Capitol Hill COVID Remembrance Project: ‘TAKE A RIBBON — WRITE THE NAME OF SOMEONE WHO HAS PASSED…’

(Images: CHS)

A Capitol Hill faith community has created a modest memorial to honor the lives of those lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can add to the love on display at the corner of 19th and Aloha.

Sunday, the St. Joseph Parish held a small opening service for the Capitol Hill COVID Remembrance Project, an effort through November to provide a space for the community to remember friends, family, and loved ones lost to the virus.

White ribbons have been tied to the church’s fence, many bearing the names of loved ones who have died. A box of ribbons and a pen waits for anybody who would like to add to the memorial. Continue reading