Pike Pine Corridor

Pine Street & 15th Avenue


Pine Street & 12th Avenue


Union Street & 10th Avenue.  One story facades were incorporated into new buildings.

Chophouse Row between 11th & 12th Avenues, Pike & Union Streets 

10th Avenue between Pike & Pine Streets


Pike Motorworks on Pike Street between Harvard & Boylston Avenues


Pike Street & Summit Avenue


Plymouth Pillars Dog Park between Pike & Pine Streets above Interstate 5. These photos were taken in June 2016.

Click here for more photos of the Pike Pine corridor.

The Pike Pine corridor runs along the edge of Capitol Hill in Seattle, dividing it from the Central District at its eastern end & First Hill at the western end. It is officially know as the Pike/Pine Conservation District. Some say the corridor continues on through Downtown to 1st Avenue. While Pike & Pine Streets originate there, that area is better known as a part of the Downtown Retail Core. Pike & Pine streets are just one block apart. The corridor is 2 or 3 blocks wide, including Union & Madison Streets east of Broadway Avenue & running from Interstate 5 to 15th Avenue, about a mile in length. The surrounding area is one of the most densely populated in Seattle. The Central Seattle College & Seattle University campuses both sit at the edges of the corridor. as does Cal Anderson Park. The Egyptian Theater is a significant historic building within the corridor.

The Pike Pine corridor began to be seriously rebuilt during the Housing Bubble of the mid-2000s & continued again during the Tech Boom of the mid-2010s. Many large apartment buildings of 6 or 7 stories with ground-floor retail were built during those periods. The area had been filled with 100 year old warehouses, thrift stores, auto repair shops & auto dealerships before that time. But there were also bars, coffee houses & restaurants. Broadway Avenue E was the more interesting & much more lively retail district on Capitol Hill before that time. But Broadway has only one retail strip, while Pike Pine covers a retail area of several streets & many side-streets.

In 2009, the City of Seattle expressed its intention to promote the conservation of the corridor’s existing historic character by limiting new development to a scale compatible with the established development pattern, accommodating arts facilities & small businesses at street level, & encouraging the retention of the existing structures & their architectural features that establish the district’s architectural character, especially buildings older than 75 years & those related to Seattle's original auto row. What happened was that a few buildings of 3 or 4 stories were refurbished, while many buildings of 1 or 2 stories were gutted & their facades incorporated into large apartment buildings. But much remains essentially unchanged.

Sidewalk Garden on E Thomas Street

Lavandula stoechas, Bergenia, Fuchsia magellanica, Mahonia aquifolium & Miscanthus sinensis in the 

Sidewalk Garden on E Thomas Street October 2012

Vaccinium corymbosum, Mahonia aquifolium & Philadelphus in the 

Sidewalk Garden on E Thomas Street October 2012

Vaccinium corymbosum, Mahonia aquifolium & Philadelphus in the 

Sidewalk Garden on E Thomas Street October 2012

Berberis thunbergii & Nandina domestica in the Sidewalk Garden on E Thomas Street October 2012

 

 Mahonia aquifolium in the Sidewalk Garden on E Thomas Street October 2012

This is one of the most exuberant sidewalk plantings I have encountered on the streets of Seattle.  I really love it.  The plants are great.  They provide color throughout much of the year & fruit in the summer & fall.  Many of the plants are repeated.  But they are not repeated too often, which is the most disappointing aspect of landscape design in general.  Some of the plants most used in this garden are Bergenia (Elephant Ears) Fuchsia magellanica (Hardy Fuchsia) Lavandula stoechas (Spanish Lavender) Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape) Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo) Philadelphus (Mock Orange) Vaccinium corymbosum (Blueberry) & Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry).  Blueberry is not a good choice for a sidewalk garden, because it does not tolerate dryness.  Lavender is a very xeric plant & commonly used.  

The major concern I have this garden is that it does not follow the guidelines set by the City of Seattle, which limits the height of plants in parking strips to 30 inches.  This is important because taller plants block the visibility of cars on the street & can be dangerous for driving.  I have often had problems while driving, when crossing streets, or turning onto them, because the plants were to tall to see approaching cars.  I have come close to collision several times.  This garden is on a street corner, which seems particularly unsafe.  That said, I must admit that the plants in my own sidewalk garden (the Cascadia Garden) exceeded 30 inches.  But that garden was mid-block, with no driveways on that side of the street.  The city does not inspect sidewalk gardens, unless there is a complaint.

From the Seattle Department of Transportation: Planting strip treatments: Plants in planting strips vary greatly in their potential to provide optimum pedestrian and environmental benefits. Though SDOT allows the installation of grass the department encourages the installation of low (24-30 inches) shrubs, perennial or groundcover plantings that provide a superior degree of separation between the sidewalk and street at reduced maintenance costs.

Summit Slope Park & Unpaving Paradise P-Patch

Summit Slope Park July 2012

Unpaving Paradise P-Patch July 2012

Unpaving Paradise P-Patch July 2012

Unpaving Paradise P-Patch July 2012 with tool shed & alley behind

Unpaving Paradise P-Patch July 2012 with extra-long picnic table

Unpaving Paradise P-Patch is part of Summit Slope Park on the west slope of Capitol Hill in Seattle.  This is a very densely populated area.  The park & p-patch were created from a parking lot in 2010.  The design & execution were excellent.  This is among the nicest small parks in Seattle.  When I first saw the site, it seemed odd to me to have a p-patch in an area with so much pedestrian & vehicular traffic.  I thought vandalism would be rampant.  But I haven't seen any obvious injury to the space & now I really love it.  The largest part of the park is p-patch.  There are also 2 small pieces of lawn, some basic landscaping, areas of pavement including stairs, a tool shed, 1 barbecue grill & possibly the longest picnic table in Seattle.  There are 37 plots on land owned by the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation.  The entire park covers 1/5th of an acre at the corner Summit Avenue E & E John Street, right next to the E Olive Way business district.  Click here to see more Seattle P-Patches.

Republican P-Patch

Republican P-Patch July 2012

Republican P-Patch July 2012

Republican P-Patch July 2012

Republican P-Patch July 2012

 Republican P-Patch July 2012

The Republican P-Patch can be found on Capitol Hill in Seattle.  So you should not expect most (or any) of the gardeners here to be Republicans.  Voters in this legislative district gave Obama 83.5% of the vote in the 2008 presidential election.  The Republican P-Patch is located at 503 20th Avenue E on the corner of E Republican Street.  The neighborhood here, known as Miller Park, is not as densely populated as other areas on south Capitol Hill.  It is composed mostly of smaller, early 20th century apartment buildings & houses.  This p-patch is one of the older community gardens in Seattle.  Established in 1986, it has 23 plots on privately-owned land, leased by the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.  It has a quiet, earthy, yet urban feel.  Click here to see more Seattle P-Patches.

Howell Collective P-Patch

Howell Collective P-Patch beside The Sanctuary. July 2012

Howell Collective P-Patch with Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower). July 2012

Howell Collective P-Patch & an entrance to a condominium at The Sanctuary. July 2012

Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) at Howell Collective P-Patch. July 2012

 Seven Hills Park. July 2012

The Howell Collective P-Patch lies in a strip between The Sanctuary & Seven Hills Park in Seattle.  The Sanctuary is a condominium development built within a beautiful & impressive old Christian Science church.  Entrances to a few of the units are visible next to the p-patch.  The old church, & to a lesser extent the p-patch, are the only compelling reasons to visit Seven Hills Park, among the blandest of parks in Seattle.  However, the park is certainly an improvement over the parking lot that preceded it.  Tables & barbecue grills are a nice touch.  The rocks that represent the 7 hills of Seattle are almost comically less than imposing.  The rest is mostly grass.  The Howell Collective P-Patch was established in 2011.  It is owned by the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation.  There are no individual plots here.  The p-patch has been designed, planted, maintained & harvested together by the members of this community garden.  Click here to read the Howell Collective P-Patch Blog.  The garden & park are near the 15th Avenue E business district.  Click here to see more Seattle P-Patches.

Thomas Street Gardens P-Patch

Thomas Street Gardens July 2012

Thomas Street Gardens July 2012

Thomas Street Gardens July 2012

Thomas Street Gardens July 2012

Thomas Street Gardens July 2012

Thomas Street Gardens P-Patch looks more like a cottage garden, than a typical Seattle p-patch.  The garden is located on Capitol Hill at 1010 E Thomas Street, just west Broadway Avenue E.  It is used as a park by people walking through the nearby business district, who often sit on the bench created by Lambert House youth.  The entry gate & tool shed are other notable features.  The garden was professionally designed & established in 1997.  There are 35 plots on 3,200 square feet owned by the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation.  An old apartment building was removed specifically to make room for a p-patch in this densely populated area.  At the time, some decried the loss of affordable housing.

Pelican Tea Garden Collective P-Patch

Pelican Tea Garden Collective P-Patch July 2012
 

Pelican Tea Garden Collective P-Patch July 2012

Pelican Tea Garden Collective P-Patch July 2012

Pelican Tea Garden Collective P-Patch July 2012

 

Pelican Tea Garden Collective P-Patch July 2012

The Pelican Tea Garden must be the funkiest P-Patch in Seattle.  It is set perpendicular to the alley that runs behind The Kingfish Cafe between 19th Avenue E & 20th Avenue E, & between E Roy Street & E Mercer Street on Capitol Hill.  The setting is steeped in century-old, brick, urban charm.  It is quiet, shaded & almost hidden.  Established in 2001, the garden covers just 1,000 square feet on land owned by the Seattle Department of Transportation.  There are no individual plots.  This is a collective garden, a place that gives socialism a good name.  Members of the collective agree to abide to the consensus method for major decisions & should not take individual action without working with the whole garden.  All active members have the opportunity to vote.  While much is voted upon, there are times when individuals must act & it is expected that actions will be made with the collective in mind.  This makes me think of the time, early in the 20th century, when people spoke of the 47 United States & the Soviet of Washington.  James Farley, Postmaster under FDR, said in 1936, 'There are 47 states in the Union, and the Soviet of Washington.'  He alluded to the leftist movements in the state, particularly in Seattle where labor movements occurred post WWI when unsatisfactory efforts were made to improve wages after war-time wage controls.  Click here to see more Seattle P-Patches.