Wikipedia

Maple Leaf, Seattle

Maple Leaf is a mostly residential neighborhood located in northeast Seattle.

Maple Leaf, Seattle
Seattle Neighborhood
Maple Leaf Park
Maple Leaf Park
Coordinates: 47°41′44″N 122°19′03″W / 47.69556°N 122.31750°W / 47.69556; -122.31750
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyKing
CitySeattle
Zip Code
98115
Area code206

History

edit

The area that is now the Maple Leaf neighborhood appeared on maps in 1894 as a plat by real estate promoters and was called the Maple Leaf Addition to the Green Lake Tract.[1] The name may have come from the Maple Saw Mill that operated to the east on Lake Washington or from some maple trees that once grew in the area. There is also an apocryphal story that Maple Leaf was so far north of downtown Seattle that it got its name for being near Canada.[2]

The neighborhood established itself through the early 1900s, gaining a school district in 1907 and the Maple Leaf Reservoir in 1912.[3] The neighborhood's earliest residents were Japanese American farmers.[4] These included immigrants like Denjiro and Jin Nishitani, who established a nursery and garden and raised their family in the neighborhood. The U.S. interned the Nishitani family during World War II, but the property remained in the family until they sold it for redevelopment in 1973.[3]

During the early 1900s, Maple Leaf and many other Seattle neighborhoods began to use racial restrictive covenants to block people of color from buying property or living there unless they were "servants domesticated with an owner or tenant".[5][6] Many developers began instating these covenants after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the use of city ordinances in enforcing residential segregation in 1917.[6] Two documented covenants in Maple Leaf covered at least 50 properties.[7]

In 1924, William Earl Waldo created the Waldo Sanitarium next to the Maple Leaf Reservoir. It was founded as a place for osteopathic medicine, which had been legalized in Washington in 1909, but still not permitted in any Seattle hospitals. The sanitarium expanded throughout the 1900s, creating intern training programs and becoming a nonprofit as the Waldo General Hospital. The organization moved closer to Northgate in the 1960s, and closed in 1985.[8]

During the 1940s, a 100-foot tall water tower was constructed in the neighborhood.[9] It wasn't until after World War II that the entirety of Maple Leaf neighborhood was within the Seattle city limits. Prior to 1954 the city line was located at 85th Street, but after a series of annexations took place the city limits moved to its current location of 145th Street.[10]

Maple Leaf was affected by nearby redevelopment through the next decades, with Northgate Mall's construction in 1950 and I-5 being built into the hill's edge in the 1960s. Puni Hokea and Peter Orser created the Maple Leaf Community Council in 1983, successfully campaigning against upzoning along Roosevelt Way NE.[3]

Neighborhood of the Year

edit

In 1986 Maple Leaf was given the title of national "Neighborhood of the Year" by Neighborhoods USA. Seattle Mayor Charles Royer nominated Maple Leaf for the award.[11]

Boundaries and geography

edit

Although Seattle neighborhood boundaries are unofficial, Maple Leaf lies between Interstate 5 in the west and State Route 522 (also known as Lake City Way) in the east. The neighborhood goes as far north as Northgate Way and as far south as NE 75th Street.[12]

Bordering neighborhoods include Roosevelt neighborhood to the south; Pinehurst and Victory Heights neighborhoods of the Northgate district to the north; Lake City and Wedgwood neighborhoods to the east; North College Park or Licton Springs neighborhood to the west.[13]

The highest point in Maple Leaf, located on 92nd Street and Roosevelt Way, is 466 feet above sea level, making it the third highest point of elevation in Seattle.[14]

Distinctive features of the neighborhood include the water tower and reservoir located at 85th and Roosevelt, plus historic Waldo Hospital at 85th NE and NE 15th, which has since been replaced by an Aegis Living senior housing complex. The water tower is painted with a distinctive coupling of maple leaves viewable from Interstate 5.

Park and reservoir

edit

The Maple Leaf reservoir was completed in 1910 with the purpose of creating a reservoir for residential and commercial water use.[15] In 2009 the Seattle city government began plans to move the reservoir underground. This was part of a citywide plan to replace all open reservoirs with underground structures in order to improve the quality and security of the water supply and provide new public open spaces on reservoir lids throughout Seattle.[16] In 2013 the 16-acre park was completed.[17]

A busy park with children riding bikes, using playground equipment, and digging in a sandbox, with a blue water tower in the background.
Maple Leaf Playground, near the water tower and the covered Maple Leaf Reservoir that serve as the main recreation area in the neighborhood

Schools and library

edit

Schools

edit

There are two public elementary schools in Maple Leaf which are part of the citywide Seattle Public Schools district.

Along with the two public elementary schools Maple Leaf is home to a handful of private schools.

  • The Fairview School: A K-8th grade school affiliated with the Church of God.[20] The building was built in 1908 and housed a public elementary school for 70 years. After the school closed the site was put up for bid, with the neighborhood fiercely opposing a plan to convert the school to low-income housing units. Originally the site was sold to the Pacific Northwest Ballet but after that deal fell through the Woodland Park Avenue Church purchased the building.[21]
  • St. Catherine School: A Catholic school serving students ranging from K-8th grade. The school was founded in 1941 and was staffed by the Sisters of Providence for 35 years.[22]
  • The Perkins School: A K-5th grade school located on the 9000 block of Roosevelt Way.[23]

The Maple Leaf School

edit

Although it would be considered outside of the current Maple Leaf neighborhood's boundaries, the Maple Leaf School opened in 1896 near Lake Washington.[24]

Library

edit

The Northgate Library, which is a branch of the Seattle Public Library system, is located on 10500 block of 5th Avenue, across from Northgate Mall. The library and the adjacent community center and park opened in July 2006.[25]

References

edit
  1. ↑ Wilma, David. "Seattle Neighborhoods: Maple Leaf -- Thumbnail History". History Link. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  2. ↑ Friedman, Spike. "How Seattle's Neighborhoods Got Their Names". Mental Floss. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Wilma, David (July 20, 2001). "Seattle Neighborhoods: Maple Leaf -- Thumbnail History". HistoryLink. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  4. ↑ Hodges, Jane (September 27, 2016). "As Seattle grew, family-friendly Maple Leaf grew into its own". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  5. ↑ Dubicki, Ray (June 3, 2022). "Seven Maps That Capture Seattle's Segregation". The Urbanist. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Honig, Doug (October 29, 2021). "Redlining, Racial Covenants, and Housing Discrimination in Seattle". HistoryLink. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Racial Restrictive Covenants Project Washington State: King County restricted subdivisions (documents and data)". Civil Rights and Labor History Consortium / University of Washington. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  8. ↑ Becker, Paula (June 29, 2007). "Waldo Sanitarium opens in Seattle's Maple Leaf neighborhood on October 5, 1924". HistoryLink. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  9. ↑ Zack, Julie (April 3, 2024). "An Urban Oasis, a Suburban Sensibility". Seattle magazine. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  10. ↑ Sheridan, Mimi. "HISTORIC PROPERTY SURVEY REPORT: SEATTLE'S NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS" (PDF). City of Seattle. p. 11. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  11. ↑ Case, Fredrick (June 26, 1986). "A PRIZE NEIGHBORHOOD - IT'S MAPLE LEAF'S HOME-SPUN CHARM THAT'S ATTRACTIVE". The Seattle Times. p. E1.
  12. ↑ "Neighborhood Map". Maple Leaf Community Council. Retrieved November 11, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. ↑ "Seattle City Clerk's Geographic Indexing Atlas". City of Seattle. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  14. ↑ "We're No. 2! Actually Maple Leaf is a proud No. 3". Maple Leaf Life. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Periodic Dam Safety Inspection Report" (PDF). Washington State Dept. of Ecology. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Maple Leaf Play Area Renovation & Reservoir Park Development Parks and Green Spaces Levy Project Information". Seattle City Government. Seattle Parks and Recreation. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Maple Leaf Reservoir Park". Seattle City Government. Seattle Parks and Recreation. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Seattle Public Schools, 1862-2000: Olympic View School". Historylink.org. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Seattle Public Schools, 1862-2000: Sacajawea Elementary School". Historylink.org. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  20. ↑ "About the Fairview Church". The Fairview Church. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Fairview" (PDF). Built for Learning: Seattle Public Schools History. Seattle Public Schools. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Our History". St. Catherine School. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  23. ↑ "History of The Perkins School". The Perkins School. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Seattle Public Schools, 1862-2000: Maple Leaf School". History Link. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  25. ↑ "About the Northgate Branch". The Seattle Public Library. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maple_Leaf,_Seattle&oldid=1349103658"