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Capitol Hill is a lively residential area in Seattle. It’s the center of the city’s LGBTQ+ community and features some of the best nightlife.
Introduction to Capitol Hill in Seattle
Development of the area started around 1900, when it was originally known as Broadway Hill. It was renamed by real estate developer James A. Moore. One story states he named it to entice the state government to move there from Olympia, while another story claims he named it after Capitol Hill in Denver, which was his wife’s hometown.
The area contains some of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods. It’s also big on music, and is closely associated with the grunge scene of the early 1990s. The roots of the LGBTQ+ community began in the 1950s and grew significantly in the 1960s after moving out of Pioneer Square.
To get to Capitol Hill, you can take the Link light rail and get off on one of the stops along Broadway.
There’s really not much I can say about Capitol Hill. My visit to the area is incomplete. We went there for dinner one night and to see the Jimi Hendrix statue. Other than that, I didn’t spend enough time there. We walked north up Broadway and saw lots of stores, coffee shops, and restaurants. I’d like to return to see Volunteer Park and the graves of Bruce (1940-1973) and Brandon Lee (1965-1993).
Jimi Hendrix Statue
The Jimi Hendrix statue is one of the highlights in Capitol Hill. Hendrix (1942-1970) was born and grew up in Seattle. The statue, located at Broadway and Pine Streets, was created by Daryl Smith in 1997 and officially named The Electric Lady Studio Guitar. It depicts Hendrix playing a Stratocaster.
Egyptian Theater
Other than seeking out the statue, I spotted the Egyptian Theater nearby. The four-story brick and terracotta building was originally a Masonic Temple that opened in 1916. It featured an 1,800-seat auditorium designed by Scottish architect Benjamin Marcus Priteca (1889-1971). The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) renovated the building with an Egyptian theme and reopened it as the Egyptian Theater on November 14, 1980. It now has a capacity of 520.
