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Department of Community Development Westlake Mall Project Records, 1970-1990

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Department of Community Development
Title
Department of Community Development Westlake Mall Project Records
Dates
1970-1990 (inclusive)
Quantity
17.85, (21 boxes)
Collection Number
1612-07
Summary
Material documenting the planning, property acquisiton, land disposition, and development of the Westlake Mall project.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for processing this record series was provided through a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

The Department of Community Development administered the City's comprehensive plan and provided direction and support for the City's physical and economic development through community planning. DCD was established in 1969 and assumed the responsibilities of the City Planning Commission and the Urban Renewal Program. In 1972, the Office of Economic Development was created in the Department to provide information to businesses that were expanding or relocating in Seattle. DCD was the lead agency for implementing various types of grant funded projects, such as Neighborhood Improvement Program, Targeted Neighborhood Assistance Program, and Neighborhood Development Program. DCD was abolished in 1992 and its programs were relocated in the Department of Neighborhoods, Department of Housing and Human Services, Planning Department, and other agencies. DCD records include material from the City Planning Commission, Zoning Commission, Metropolitan Arts Commission, Board of Adjustment, and Urban Renewal Program.

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Content Description

Correspondence, reports, working papers, appraisals, photos, slides, drawings, maps and legal materials documenting the development of the Westlake Mall project. The project was a mixed-use public park/retail shopping plan intended to contribute to the revitalization of the downtown Central Business District. The records document the project initiated by allocation of one million dollars in Forward Thrust funds in the 1960s for creation of a downtown park. Records cover the planning phase and property acquisition. The City was prevented by a State Supreme Court decision from acquiring all properties necessary for project completion. Records also document the subsequent disposition of land to private developers, including the Westlake Center Associates. A public square, office tower, and shopping mall were built on the project site in the 1980s. Photographic slides document some construction of the mall.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Title of image, date. Item number.] Westlake Mall Project Records, Record Series 1612-07. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

[Item and date], Westlake Mall Project Records, Record Series 1612-07. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

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Administrative Information

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Forward Thrust (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Shopping Malls--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Urban Parks--(Seattle, Wash)
  • Urban renewal--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Westlake Mall (Seattle, Wash.)

Corporate Names

  • Department of Community Development
  • Westlake Center Associates (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Westlake Development Authority (Seattle, Wash.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographs

Finding aid prepared by Ellie Letterman
2011

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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