Historic Seattle is excited to continue our yearly program series honoring our Preservation Celebration Award winners! For this series, expect an opportunity to learn more about the incredible people and places that were honored at our 2023 Preservation Celebration.
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Labour Temple | 2023 Best Preservation Project Award
Come join us for an in-person tour of our 2023 Best Preservation Project winner, Labour Temple! We’ll be hosted by FAUL, building owner and developer, and will conclude our program with a rooftop reception.
Designated a City Landmark in 2008, the Labour Temple (originally the Seattle Labor Temple) in Belltown (2800 1st Avenue) represents an important aspect of Seattle’s notable labor history as the booming wartime workforce increased the number of local workers and numerous unions that established offices in the vicinity. Constructed by the labor unions in 1942, the building was owned and occupied by them for almost 80 years. An addition to the north (containing an auditorium) was constructed in 1946 and a third story was added to the original two-story building in 1955. The property served as headquarters of the MLK Labor Council and as long-time focal point for union organizing and activities in the county. It was the last large functioning labor hall in Belltown, a neighborhood that was once the center of union activity.
In the last few decades, with the rising costs of real estate, constituents of the labor unions moved farther out of the city and the building took on some deferred maintenance. The Seattle Labor Temple Association considered restoring the building or listing it for sale. They chose the latter; FAUL purchased the original south building in December 2020 and the north addition was sold to a church. The building underwent extensive renovation, welcoming its first office tenants in 2022 and reopening as the rebranded “Labour Temple,” with the “u” signifying the u-shaped building and union history.
The transformation of the former Labor Temple into a modern co-working community hub with common amenities has given this landmark a new lease on life!