Tag Archives: roanoke park

With decisions spanning from North Broadway to Rome, Seattle Catholic churches plan consolidation amid a priest labor shortage and a drop in faith

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(Image: Wikimedia/Joe Mabel)

 

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A “Pastoral Planning” process will place Catholic parishes in partnership around Puget Sound. The impacts on churches in Capitol Hill and the Central District — two Seattle neighborhoods with long histories shaped by the church — won’t likely be known for another year.

This process is very different from the round of church closures in 2021 which lead to the church shuttering St. Patrick’s and St Mary’s churches, according to Helen McClenahan, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Seattle.

The archdiocese may close the houses of worship — but many other options are possible.

Some of the driving factors behind the effort, however, have not changed.

As with many faith communities in Western Washington and nationally, church attendance is down, and has been trending that way for years. Even though the region’s population has been growing, fewer people are attending church and receiving the sacraments that are an integral part of the Catholic faith.

There is also a labor crunch. Fewer priests are expected to be available in coming years. Earlier this year, the archdiocese noted that currently there are 80 pastors for 174 locations. By 2036, it expects only 66 pastors. Continue reading →

Once notorious for its E Olive Way sign, Capitol Hill’s Amante Pizza has closed

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(Image: Amante Pizza and Pasta)

Capitol Hill’s Amante Pizza and Pasta has closed taking its relatively affordable pies and memories of its notorious flashing E Olive Way sign with it.

CHS reported here on the 2018 closure of the E Olive Way Amante to make way for an overhaul for a new pot shop.

It turned out, the restaurant’s outsized flashing electronic sign was also shut down and removed. Cannabis retailer Reef opened in the building later that year with downstairs neighbor La Rue Creperie and Espresso joining the mix in 2020. Continue reading →

What North Capitol Hill’s freeway lid will look like… in 2030

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North Capitol Hill’s freeway lid will complement Montlake’s, but not until 2030

By Ryan Packer

With work well underway in Montlake adding a new freeway lid that will also sit under a newly reconstructed Montlake Boulevard, the Washington State Department of Transportation is still progressing forward with its plan to complete what it calls the “Rest of the West” projects. Earlier this year, WSDOT announced that the schedule for completion of the segment of 520 over Portage Bay and the accompanying freeway lid at East Roanoke Street would be delayed by a year, with the opening date pushed from 2029 to 2030.

(Image: CHS)

When North Capitol Hill’s freeway lid is complete at the end of this decade, it will completely remake the street grid around E Roanoke Street, providing bike and pedestrian connectivity that just doesn’t exist now and stitching the city back together a little. 10th Ave E and Delmar Drive E will be joined together by an open space lid almost as large as Roanoke Park to the north of it. Pathways on either side of the central green space will allow people walking or rolling to take shortcuts across the lid. Continue reading →

Seattle Police bust up Capitol Hill protests — one a candlelight vigil, one breaking more glass on 15th Ave E — UPDATE: Another federal arrest

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Seattle Police swept in and cracked down on two Capitol Hill protests Wednesday night as tensions continue to run high amid continued demonstrations and riots following the Kenosha police shooting.

Early in the night, officers surged onto 15th Ave E tackling protesters and making arrests after windows were smashed at two businesses and a bank. Later, police and troopers opted to make another show of force as a group of protesters that have become a regular part of Seattle and Capitol Hill’s streets held a candlelight vigil outside E Roanoke’s Washington State Patrol headquarters for Summer Taylor, the activist struck and killed by a driver during a protest on I-5 in July.

The WSP standoff and police surge came around 10:30 PM as the daily-organized Everyday March was holding its vigil at the Roanoke Park-area facility above 520 and I-5 with its usual brigade of several vehicles used to protect the marchers as they cross streets and intersections. Continue reading →

After nearly 25 years, Capitol Hill’s classic Roanoke Park Place Tavern to get new owners

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(Image: Roanoke Park Place Tavern)

After nearly 25 years, one of Capitol Hill’s oldest of old school bars is getting new owners.

Chris and Jeff Price tell CHS they are stepping away from the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, the North Capitol Hill bar they have owned and run together since May of 1995.

“It’s become a place with a lot of ghosts,” Chris tells CHS about the decision.

Stepping out from behind the bar to take over the Roanoke will be a couple who have also served many a drinker from behind the pub’s bar. The buyers are Sean Donovan and Teresa McElhinney. While the deal hasn’t yet closed, Price says she believe the bar is in excellent hands to keep the good times coming and help extend the building’s reported 89 or so years as a tavern and 39 years as the Roanoke. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill’s D’ La Santa and its grande margaritas set for 10th Ave E expansion

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Growing up in Guadalajara, Angelica Villasenor was the only one of her seven siblings who hated to cook. When Villasenor’s father opened a Mexican restaurant in Kent and asked her and her siblings to help out, she secured a bartending position and let her siblings take care of the cooking roles. Now, her Capitol Hill restaurant D’ La Santa is getting ready to begin its third year of business with an expansion plan that will put that bartending experience to good use.

D’ La Santa is getting ready to add a new catty-cornered bar and six-table patio to its 10th Ave E location. Along with the bar comes an addition of authentic Mexican cocktails and new food items including handmade traditional and green tortillas made with Poblano peppers.

“Finally we have a restaurant that tastes like Mexico,” Villasenor said.

During the decade Villasenor’s father’s restaurant grew, so did Villasenor’s love for cooking. Eventually in 2016 Villasenor considered opening a restaurant of her own in the city, but she didn’t have the money, a location or professional training as a chef. Now, after opening two years ago next month, Villasenor’s authentic Mexican restaurant D’ La Santa in Capitol Hill is expanding. Continue reading →

Thunder and lightning long gone but Monday morning power outage strikes northern Capitol Hill — UPDATE

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View the latest updates from Seattle City Light

The area came through Saturday’s incredible thunderstorm mostly unscathed but wet branches appeared to be a larger problem Monday morning as a power outage knocked around 7,000 customers offline.

Seattle City light was reporting 6,7000 customers without power in swaths along north Broadway, Roanoke Park, and eastern Capitol Hill along 23rd/24th and Interlaken Park. As of 9:45 AM, City Light said it was investigating a cause and did not yet have an estimated time for restoration.

Witnesses reported hearing loud booms northeast of the Hill just before the outage.

The loss of power triggered alarms and left elevators stuck between floors. Police responded to a false alarm for a possible robbery at a north Broadway bank while Seattle Fire helped in an elevator rescue reported on 14th Ave E.

Saturday night, thousands around the city lost power as an unusually intense thunderstorm produced more than 2,000 lightning strikes across the area.

UPDATE: City Light says its current estimate is a 1 PM restoration of power:

UPDATE x2 11 AM: Restored!

Power has been restored to the North Capitol Hill area. The cause of the outage was due to a tree branch falling on a pair of powerlines. Our crews are also continuing to restore power to those affected by last weekend’s storm. Thank you for your patience.

 

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Subscribe to CHS to help us pay writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for as little as $5 a month.

 

 

D’ La Santa taking a family approach to great Mexican food on 10th Ave E

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With reporting and photos by Alex Garland

Maybe a higher power will help. Mom’s recipes and a family approach to business will, for sure.

Angelica Villasenor and her family have opened D’ La Santa on 10th Ave E down toward Roanoke in a Capitol Hill restaurant space that has been empty for years and that has challenged many a restaurateur. The recipe to making things work on this part of the Hill? From Guadalajara, Jalisco, Villasenor has turned to the dishes from her mother’s kitchen.

“All my mom’s recipes,” Villasenor said. “My mom is not a chef, when she cooks, she never follows recipes, just by taste. In the beginning, she was helping me with the seasoning.” Continue reading →

‘Well-worn but cozy’ on North Capitol Hill, Roanoke celebrates a 20th anniversary

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Chris Price shared this, "the oldest photo I can put my hands on right now - most likely from the late 90's, possibly 2000, since it's pre-liquor. Note the cassette tape rack! And the tall blond guy in the middle is Greg, the regular most everyone would recognize. He died in 2013 and there is a little plaque marking his spot at the bar..." (Image: The Roanoke with permission to CHS)

Chris Price shared this, “the oldest photo I can put my hands on right now – most likely from the late 90’s, possibly 2000, since it’s pre-liquor. Note the cassette tape rack! And the tall blond guy in the middle is Greg, the regular most everyone would recognize. He died in 2013 and there is a little plaque marking his spot at the bar…” (Image: The Roanoke with permission to CHS)

"The original cooler we had until it died in 2015," Price says (Image: The Roanoke with permission to CHS)

“The original cooler we had until it died in 2015,” Price says (Image: The Roanoke with permission to CHS)

The Roanoke isn’t fancy, and it doesn’t try to be. The bar, celebrating 20 years under the ownership of Chris and Jeff Price with a big 10th Ave E party Saturday, goes for more of a comfortable, living room vibe.

“It’s well-worn but cozy, like your favorite pair of tennis shoes,” Chris Price tells CHS.

The Prices took over in May of 1995. Jeff had been working for his parents at the now closed Factoria Pub. That place had a change of ownership, and Jeff didn’t fit with the new owners, so he left to find new opportunities, as Chris Price tells it. They had some connections to the broker selling the Roanoke, and the couple looked at it and snapped it up.

Roanoke 20th Anniversary Party
Saturday, May 16th 5 PM
Roanoke celebrates its 20th year with raffles, grilling, and special deals on drinks!

Since then, Chris Price said, they’ve tried to keep it much like it was back then, outside of repainting the place 10 or 15 years ago. She said some actually criticize the place for being on the dingy side in some spots, but it doesn’t bother her.

“That’s probably true, but we like it that way,” Continue reading →

The latest to call it quits at 10th and Miller, Abay Ethiopian moves on

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Screen Shot 2015-03-11 at 3.48.07 PM

Back in the Cassis days (Image: King County)

We’re sure the rest of its 85 years at the corner of 10th Ave E and E Miller have been more pleasant.

But for the last decade, the Keuss Building has been home to a rotating menu of Capitol Hill food and drink sadness.

Over the weekend, Abay Ethiopian — “named for a great river,” CHS put it when the restaurant was moving in two years ago — served its last meals at the location:

On March 8th Sunday night is Abay Ethiopian Cuisine will be [our] last night. We are moving to a new location. Thank you to all for all love and support through out the years. We met a bunch of great people and made wonderful friends. Please follow us on Facebook and we will let you know about the new locations soon.

One love!!

Management says the plan is to reopen at a new, more fruitful location elsewhere in the Seattle area soon.

Blen Mamo Teklu’s venture lasted longer at the corner than some. Since we began publishing, CHS has written about a string of openings — and closings — in the old brick restaurant space. Skelly and the Bean lasted only 10 months. Before that, Easy Joe’s made a go of it before a successful move to Pioneer Square. The Alcove never opened. Tidbit Bistro lasted almost three years before a move to Broadway and Union before shuttering a year after that. You have to go back to the pre-CHS seven-year run of Cassis to find a story that doesn’t end with premature evacuation. Also, XO Bistro fits somewhere in the timeline. Take it away, old timers…