"A Central District Landmark With A Legacy of Cultivating Community"

The article "A Central District landmark with a legacy of cultivating community" appeared in The Seattle Times "Now & Then" series. The landmark in question is the former Bikur Cholim synagogue that is today known as the Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center. In the piece, a rare photo from the Washington State Jewish Historical Society collection is paired with the same shot taken today:

https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/0929-now-and-then/

As the article notes, the building was designed by one of America’s foremost theater designers, Benjamin Marcus Priteca. Quite prolific, “Priteca designed 22 theaters for [Alexander] Pantages and another 128 for other theater owners” (Wikipedia).

Local examples that have endured include the Coliseum in Downtown Seattle (though a Banana Republic retail store is there currently) and Tacoma’s Pantages Theatre.

Special thanks to Jean Sherrard and Clay Eals for bringing this important story to greater attention.