University Village, Seattle, Washington

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University Village
University Village

University Village is an upscale shopping center in Seattle, Washington, built at the south corner of Ravenna neighborhood.[1] The 24 acre (97,000 m²) shopping center was built in 1956 across NE 45th Street on an earlier part of the Montlake Landfill (since 1911, 1922-1966; home of J. P. Patches 1958-1981), taking out what remained of the Union Bay Marsh that was drained by the lowering of Lake Washington as a result of the opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal (1913-1916).[2] Some wetland was later partially restored as the Union Bay Natural Area with the Center for Urban Horticulture.[3]

Until the early 1990s, the character of University Village was decidedly different. Most of its businesses were small, and the chain stores were all local: Ernst Home & Nursery, Malmo Nurseries (acquired by Ernst), Lamonts Department Store (acquired by Gottschalks, 2000),[4] Pay 'n Save Drugs, and QFC (a grocery). Many of the businesses began to falter toward the end of the 1980s, however, and in 1993 the owners of the mall decided to sell. The chairman of QFC and a partner bought it, and tenants such as those mentioned above began to move out. U-Village, as it is colloquially known, no longer has a hardware store, but features upscale national stores such as Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, Miller-Pollard, Banana Republic, and Crate & Barrel instead (as well as related local specialty stores). Despite this, 61% of U-Village merchants are still local. (The Ernst and Pay n' Save corporate chains went out of business in the 1990s; adjacent QFC still nominally exists, but as a division of Kroger.)

Anchor tenants today are Barnes and Noble, local and family-owned Bartell Drugs (since 1890),[5] Crate & Barrel, The Gap, and Pottery Barn.[6] Significant adjacent anchors are the Seattle QFC flagship store, a large Safeway, and an Office Depot. In 1991, neighborhood activists initiated a campaign with the City to "daylight" Ravenna Creek through Ravenna Park to Lake Washington, but the segment from the park to the University of Washington (UW) and the Union Bay Natural Area was successfully blocked by the owners of University Village.[7]

The campus of the UW is to the west and south, the neighborhood of Bryant farther to the east, and the neighborhood of Ravenna to the north,[8] but portions of the surrounding neighborhoods are often referred to as being in "University Village" themselves, approximately west to 22nd Avenue NE, north to NE 55th Street, and east to Union Bay Place NE and 30th Avenue NE. The area's principal arterials are 25th Avenue NE and NE 45th Street; 35th Avenue is a minor arterial. Collector arterials are NE Blakeley-Union Bay Place NE and NE 55th streets.[9]

Contents

[edit] Competing local shopping

[edit] See also

U Village shopping center Web site Neighborhoods of Ravenna Creek

[edit] References

  1. ^ (1) Seattle City Clerk's Neighborhood Map Atlas (n.d., map .jpg c. 17 June 2002). "Ravenna", map. Office of the Seattle City Clerk. Retrieved on 2006-04-21. Maps "NN-1030S", "NN-1040S".jpg dated 17 June, 2002.
    Note caveat in footer.
    (2) "About the Seattle City Clerk's On-line Information Services", Information Services, Seattle City Clerk's Office. Office of the Seattle City Clerk (n.d.). Retrieved on 2006-04-21. See heading, "Note about limitations of these data".
  2. ^ (1) Dorpat
    (2) Phelps, pp. 59, 68. 207–208.
    (3) Stein
  3. ^ Center for Urban Horticulture
  4. ^ "About Gottschalks". Gottschalks (n.d.). Retrieved on 2006-06-21.
  5. ^ Warren
  6. ^ Largest by square footage, alphabetically. Next largest are Anthropologie, Banana Republic, Fiorini Sports, Smith & Hawken, and Storables, alphabetically. 206 stores plus five offices.
    "Map", Home > Information > Map at [http://www.uvillage.com/map.asp "Map"]. University Village (2006-05-07). Retrieved on 2006-05-21.
  7. ^ (1) "Chronology". Ravenna Creek Alliance (n.d., August 1998 per Chronology). Retrieved on 2006-04-21.
    (2) Ravenna Creek Alliance (2005-11-09). "Ravenna Creek Alliance: Specific Info". Earthlink. Retrieved on 2006-04-21.
    (3) O'Neil
  8. ^ Seattle City Clerk's Neighborhood Map Atlas (n.d., map .jpg c. 17 June 2002). "Ravenna", map. Office of the Seattle City Clerk. Retrieved on 2006-04-21.
  9. ^ Seattle City Clerk's Neighborhood Map Atlas (2004-01-12). Low-Resolution Version. Street Classification Maps. Seattle Department of Transportation. Retrieved on 2006-04-21. For browser use; other versions for printing, cf. Bibliography. From "Principal, Minor and Collector arterials", Seattle Department of Transportation, 2005.

[edit] Bibliography

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