Redlining Heritage Trail - First Hill and Little Saigon

This section of the Redlining Heritage trail weaves through what is the hospital district and part of the international district of Seattle. Do this loop for a short 2-mile route on its own, or link it up with other sections of this trail for a much longer walk through Seattle's history. For more details on each location along the route, check out Revisiting Washington's descriptions of the stops along this route. 

Begin at Washington Hall, found at 14th and Yesler. This brick building has hosted a variety of artists over the years, from Duke Ellington to Elvis Costello, and remains an event space to this day. Around the corner is the site of the former Vietnamese Martyrs Parish. A longstanding place of worship, this building fell victim to development in First Hill and was slated for demolition for apartment buildings in the early 2020s. 

Head about 2 blocks west and uphill to the Yesler Community Center. This green-sloped park and accompanying playground are a hub for the neighborhood. Community members use the equipment at the park to stay fit, kids play on the playground and it's possible to admire Mount Rainier from here on a clear day. 

Turn north (right) onto Fir Street to walk through an open plaza with several sets of stairs up to Fir Street. At Fir, turn left and come right back down the hill; you've nearly encircled the Epstein Opportunity Center. This center now offers programs and activities for neighborhood residents, but the center is named after Jesse Epstein, who established Yesler Terrace, Washington's first public housing project (and notably, the first racially integrated housing project in the nation). 

Back at the intersection of Fir and Yesler, you're right across the street from YES Farm, a small urban farm tucked ingeniously above I-5. YES Farm is run by a group of Black farming professionals and volunteers to establish a healthy food system in the city. Residents in the neighborhood can rent and tend plots of land, and volunteers help maintain the greenspace. A charming greenhouse with a hand-painted mural decorates the grounds as well. 

Now follow the paved sidewalk that lies at the bottom of the green slopes of Yesler Terrace Park. On your right are two enormous new apartment complexes. Continue to walk along this section of First Hill until you can see the top of a steep staircase - you're heading down this into the International District for a short jaunt. 

The stairs are fascinating. Criss-crossed by wheelchair-friendly ramps, they transport people from the heights of First Hill into the slightly lower ground of the International District. Seattle has many hills, but it used to have many more, and getting from top to bottom may have been quite as steep as this section. 

Connect with extremely steep 10th Avenue S and head towards Jackson, then turn left. Walk east on Jackson. At the intersection with 12th Avenue, look right. This is the former site of Black and Tan, the city's highest-regarded nightclub, which hosted famed jazz artists until the 1950s. 

Walk another 2 blocks east on Jackson and at a 5-way intersection, turn left onto 14th Ave. Walk 1 block and then turn right onto S. Main Street. You're walking past Collins Playfield on your left. Opened for the community in the 1930s and spanning 2 city blocks, the playfield is smaller these days but still open to the public. 

Walk north on 16th Avenue for another 3 blocks and then turn right back around and head to Washington, where you'll turn right and pass your last site on this section, the Gran Filipino Oriental. Filipino lodges provide the community with places to gather and share histories, make connections and grow bonds.