Situated conveniently between buzzy Capitol Hill, the Central District, and the downtown core, Seattle’s First Hill is a diverse neighborhood with a rich history. One of the first parts of the city to be built up and settled back in the 1870s, according to The Seattle Times, First Hill was once a quiet, leafy slope that looked down and out over Elliott Bay and the city’s bustling commercial quarter, known simply as “the hill.” (It’s easy to understand where this district got its name!)
Photo courtesy of @historicseattle // Instagram.
By the early 20th century, it was home to Seattle’s movers and shakers, like timber barons, art collectors, politicians, and other A-list members of society. Since the 1960s and ‘70s, this neighborhood has become the epicenter of Seattle’s healthcare industry, housing vast medical complexes for Harborview, Swedish, and Virginia Mason. It is now, however, a whole lot more than that.
Photo courtesy of @stjamescathedral // Instagram.
Architecturally eclectic, today you’ll find traces of this district’s heritage in its historic buildings and city landmarks, like the St. James Cathedral, that are mixed in with residential developments both old and new. And Historic Seattle, a nonprofit organization that works to preserve meaningful places all over the city, chose to make its home on First Hill. For that reason alone, First Hill is a fantastic area for a self-guided walking tour! But once you’ve soaked up the architecture, there are plenty of other things to see and do in this historic neighborhood.
A Creative Legacy
First Hill has a past as a center of art and culture—in the 1910s and ‘20s, it was frequently described as Seattle’s “Greenwich Village,” a small but welcoming enclave for the city’s artistic community, including famed photographer Imogen Cunningham. Today, it is home to one of the city’s most beloved museums, The Frye Art Museum, a nonprofit institution that is free for all to enjoy, as well as several private galleries.
First Hill New Development Spotlight
Located at 800 Columbia Street, just two blocks from The Frye Art Museum, the Graystone Condominiums are a modern, high-rise residential development perfectly at home in the historic First Hill neighborhood, thanks to careful attention to detail and thoughtful nods to the area’s legacy as a hub of cultural and artistic life in Seattle.
Offering graceful and sophisticated condominium homes as well as three floors of luxury amenity spaces—including a rooftop courtyard and outdoor plaza with al fresco dining areas and fireplaces overlooking Elliott Bay and Lake Union—the Graystone provides residents with an unparalleled lifestyle and the opportunity to relish the very best of Seattle.
Learn more about the Graystone Condominiums here.