Belltown Cottage Park

Built in 1916 by the Seattle developer William Hainsworth, the Belltown Cottages were originally a group of six Craftsman bungalows clustered around a shared courtyard. The cottages served as residences for fishermen, longshoremen, and other workers employed on Seattle's waterfront in the early 20th century. The homes were constructed after the Denny Regrade, which entailed leveling the Denny Hill area on the northern edge of the city between 1900 and 1910. Advertised as "modern living," each house was equipped with electricity and plumbing. Although half of the cottages were demolished in the 1960s, three still remain standing, and they were designated Seattle Landmarks in 2000. Until recently, the remaining cottages have each been used as accommodations for Richard Hugo House's Writers-in-Residence program. As of 2023, the City of Seattle is exploring options to maintain the Belltown Cottage Park as a historic site. The original courtyard, along with an adjacent vacant lot, is now a community garden known as the Belltown P-Patch.

From 1890 and 1920, William Hainsworth was a successful Seattle builder and developer who actively promoted development above Alki Beach and in other parts of the city. Throughout his long career, Hainsworth commissioned many single-family homes in the Craftsman bungalow style, in addition to multi-family "cottage parks,” in which homes were clustered around a shared detached courtyard. Towards the end of his life, Hainsworth was also involved with commercial real estate, through the development of the Spring Apartment Hotel in 1922. This was the first major hotel to be constructed in downtown Seattle. Upon his death, Hainsworth donated a parcel of property to the city for the creation of Fairmount Park.

In 1916, Hainsworth commissioned the construction of six cottages clustered around a central courtyard in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. The 20- by 24-foot homes came to be known as the Belltown Cottages. Signs were placed in the windows of the newly completed houses, advertising their availability: “Save Car Fare and Time, Modern Cottages, $16 to $18 a month.” Designed as affordable housing for families, they were occupied by workers employed on Seattle’s waterfront, including fishermen, longshoremen, and shipyard workers, as well as a telephone operator and a waitress. Hainsworth renovated five other cottages, built earlier, near Elliot Way and Vine Street. Additionally, he commissioned a five-unit set of row houses next to the Belltown Cottage Park, although these were eventually demolished. Three of the six original Belltown Cottages were also torn down in the 1960s.

In 2000, the three remaining cottages were designated as Seattle Landmarks by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Board. They have each been used as accommodations for Richard Hugo House's Writers-in-Residence program. As of 2023, the cottages are partially occupied, and the City of Seattle, which owns the Belltown Cottage Park, is considering options to further preserve this landmark as a public historic site. In the late 1980s and 1990s, the original courtyard was converted into a community garden known as the Belltown P-Patch, through the efforts of local artists and activists Buster Simpson, Carl Smool, and Katherine Shedd, along with Myke Woodwell and Wilbur Hathaway. With an Open Space Bond by King County, in 1995, the Friends of the Belltown P-Patch raised $450K to purchase the adjacent vacant lot where the row homes once stood. The expanded community garden now has thirty-five plots for growing vegetables and flowers, landscaped paths, mosaic artwork, and a community mural that asks: "Why not grow?"

"Belltown Cottages - 1916", Northern Architecture. Accessed August 8th, 2023. https://www.northernarchitecture.us/classic-houses/belltown-cottages-1916.html.

"Belltown Cottage Park", City of Seattle. Accessed August 8th, 2023. https://www.seattle.gov/parks/allparks/belltown-cottage-park.

"Belltown P-Patch", City of Seattle. Accessed August 8th, 2023. https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/p-patch-gardening/garden-list/belltown.

Humphrey, Clark. Seattle's Belltown. Images of America. Charleston, SC. Arcadia Publishing, 2007.

Keeley, Sean. "Belltown P-Patch Cottages", Curbed. March 4th, 2015. Accessed August 8th, 2023. https://seattle.curbed.com/2015/3/4/9985004/belltown-ppatch-cottages.