You would be forgiven, by some, if you thought you were looking at a corner of Capitol Hill. But this is 23rd and Union and the heart of the Central District where the development waves many associate with Pike/Pine or Broadway are continuing to reshape the environment. The massive, wrapped construction is Midtown Square, a three-piece, seven-story mixed-use apartment development with more than 400 market-rate and affordable units, a quasi-public central plaza, and a huge underground parking garage on the site of the former Midtown Center shopping strip. When it opens later this year, it will be only the latest major development to transform the intersection that is now busy with old originals like Earl’s Cuts and big new additions like a PCC. By day, there are two coffee shops ready to serve — Union Coffee and Squirrel Chops — plus Cafe Avole on the way. As nighttime activity grows again, the original Uncle Ike’s draws crowds while Seattle Soul Food restaurant Communion looks forward to eventually hosting a busy bar.

9’s is a regular photo series with a simple premise. CHS visits a corner of the Hill twice — once at 9 AM and again at 9 PM — to capture the scenes of the neighborhood in motion. Have a space you’d like us to feature? Let us know in comments.

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