Articles

One block, many lives: the evolving history of Ferdinand Street and Columbia City.

Published in The Seattle Times online on Oct. 9, 2025, Seattle Then & Now Blog on Oct. 9, 2025, and in Pacific NW Magazine of the printed Times on Oct. 12, 2025. Explosive legacy underlies Rainier Valley’s serene hilltop park By Clay Eals THEN: In 1911, haul and sort pyrotechnic materials near shed #17 (right) of then-six-year-old Hitt Fireworks Co. workers on the hill south of Columbia City, bordered by 37th Avenue South and South Brandon Street. ( Museum of History & Indu

The building at 5608 Rainier Avenue has stood at the heart of Hillman City for over a century, bearing witness to generations of change. American Theatre, 5608 Rainier Ave. S., Hillman City, “Dante’s Inferno.” (Puget Sound Regional Archives photograph, 1935). Opened in 1921 as the American Theatre, it served as a beloved neighborhood movie house and performance venue, offering affordable entertainment within walking distance for local families. Over the decades, the theater e