We did it on Union, let’s do it again on Yesler – Expanding the model for a Black and thriving Central District

The Future of Yesler is Now.

Ten years ago, the future of the Central District’s Black community and presence on 23rd and Union was under threat. As we celebrate 10 years of Africatown Community Land Trust’s work, it is clear that community-led land development can be a force for stopping displacement and creating the Black and thriving community that we envision.

Left – Legacy business owner, Earl Lancaster, photographs the demolition of his barbershop at Midtown Center. Right – ACLT’s MOU with Midtown Square developers laid the groundwork for incorporating cultural art installations and community spaces into the building’s design.

23^rd and Union – 2016

Black-owned businesses under threat across the 23^rd Avenue corridor.
Midtown Center facing demolition along with Black-owned business spaces.
1 new 6-story, market-rate apartment building complete on Union with 2 others on the way.
Fierce development pressures, rising housing cost, Black community displacement at an all-time high.

Union Street Corridor – 2026

The largest Black commercial hub in Washington State with 9 new Black-owned businesses.
350 units of affordable housing constructed.
3 new apartment developments featuring Black artists, Central district history, community spaces, and afrocentric design.
A community-led development model proven on Union and ready to be implemented on Yesler.

While the impact of our work and approach has been demonstrated on 23^rd and Union, what we’ve established there is just the beginning – it’s a model that can be implemented to further transform the landscape of the Central District and Seattle as a whole.

From vision to reality. Imagine Africatown temporary mural installation on 23rd and Union (left). Africatown Plaza under construction on 23rd and E Spring.

We convened community members, artists, designers, business owners and youth to imagine a different future, a thriving Black community with even deeper roots. We worked together to design structures that serve as visual markers of our culture, provide spaces for our businesses and community events, and helped reverse displacement with affordable housing. We built Liberty Bank Building and Africatown Plaza with unprecedented participation of Black-owned contracting firms, bringing 240 new units of affordable apartments to the Central District and shifting the landscape of the Union Street Corridor for generations to come.

As we continue the design process at our property at 1601 Yesler, it’s the perfect time to imagining, designing and building to bring our vision of a sustainable cultural corridor to life. With over 25 Black cultural community spaces spanning from Yesler terrace to Martin Luther King Way, Yesler Way is already primed with a strong foundation to bring a vision of a sustainable Black cultural corridor to life.

RSVP and bring your voice to the table at the Imagine Africatown – Yesler Design Day and support the vision with a contribution to the future of the Central District.