In Seattle’s Central District, you can find Africatown Plaza at the intersection of community, heritage and design. The seven-story, mixed-use development delivers 126 affordable homes, ground-floor retail, and office space for the Africatown Community Land Trust (ACLT). Yet its greatest contribution may be its embodiment of collective identity and vision.
As K. Wyking Garrett, executive director of ACLT, describes it: “Africatown Plaza and our broader work at 23rd and Union is more than a development project. It is a living monument and a legacy in motion that points boldly toward the future.”
Rooted in Community Vision
Africatown Plaza reflects the deep collaboration between ACLT and Community Roots Housing, who served as co-developers and co-owners.
“Africatown Plaza represents a critical next step toward countering the deplorable legacy of racist redlining practices,” says Community Roots Housing CEO Christopher Persons. “With headquarters for ACLT and 126 beautiful new affordable apartments, Africatown Plaza ensures the area is not just a static monument, but a place to build a thriving, dynamic future.”
Together with design architect David Baker Architects and architect of record GGLO, the team prioritized intentional, community-led design from the very beginning.
“We built upon some engagement work that ACLT had done prior to our involvement,” says Daniel Simons, FAIA, of David Baker Architects. “One of the themes they were exploring was how to build a meaningful place in an area that has been impacted by gentrification. This was envisioned as not just a building but a place of setting roots in the ground and holding the place of the community.”
Through a series of design charrettes, listening sessions, and even a custom board game used to prioritize ground-floor uses, residents directly influenced how the building was programmed and shaped.
“We created a board game that included all the different programmatic elements the developer wanted,” Simons says. “They engaged in the tradeoffs and really drove the organization of the entire ground floor. Massing concepts also emanated from these community discussions.”
This participatory spirit extended beyond layout decisions. At one of the first meetings, community stakeholders rearranged the seating to form a circle.
“They told us, ‘We are here together in community,’” says Erin Feeney of David Baker Architects. “That circular arrangement influenced not only how we shared ideas but also the design language—from switching programming diagrams from boxes to ellipses, to shaping the building itself with curves that represent inclusion and connection.”
Design That Embodies Identity
Africatown Plaza’s distinctive curving weathering steel volume, fabricated by BÖK Modern, hovers above the plaza like a protective canopy, symbolizing shelter and rootedness often cited during community design sessions.
“There was a lot of discussion about ‘what is African American design,’” Simons says. “We talked about trees as the center of community, about jazz music, fabric, and off-beat phrasing … and how that could be translated into patterning of the exterior skin.”
Architect Marcell Snodgrass, who was with David Baker Architects during the design phase, noted that the team worked to balance generational differences in design preferences. “The elder generation wanted to reference cultures across the African continent, whereas some of the younger folks wanted to explore what an African American design aesthetic might mean,” he says. “We created spaces for engagement, with the iconic form and plaza as direct outcomes of these conversations.”
As much as Africatown Plaza provides affordable housing, it also functions as a civic and cultural destination. The design includes public gathering spaces, community gardens, and street-level terraces that encourage stoop culture and social interaction.
“They envisioned this not only as much-needed affordable housing, but also as a hub and center within the community,” Feeney says.
Lessons in Equity-Driven Design
Architects involved in the project emphasize the value of meaningful community engagement. “If you talk with the community early, when you still have opportunities to adapt the design, it can have a significant and positive impact,” says architect Jon Hall of GGLO. “At Africatown Plaza, the community allowed and encouraged the team to completely flip the orientation of the building 180 degrees to meet their goals for a public gathering space.”
Simba Mafundikwa, who was with GGLO during the project, describes the process as one that authentically responded to lived experience. “Through community workshops, listening sessions, and collaborative exercises, I witnessed how lived experiences directly informed our design choices and outcomes.”
Garrett appreciates the way the design process played out, too: “Hand in hand with Black residents, artists, business owners, design professionals, and contractors, we have imagined, designed, and built the foundations of a more equitable Seattle—one that honors the legacy of Black pioneers and the generations of families who have helped shape the neighborhood and city for more than 140 years.”
Project Team
Developer: Africatown Community Land Trust
Co-Developer / Service Provider: Community Roots Housing
Design Architect: David Baker Architects
Architect of Record: GGLO
Interior Designer: GGLO and Dream Collaborative
Landscape Architect: Site Workshop
General Contractor: Absher and M.A.D. / Construction Joint Venture
Structural Engineer: PCS Structural Solutions
Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Engineer: GLUMAC
Civil Engineer: Coterra Engineering
View the full article: Africatown Plaza: A Living Monument to Culture, Community, and Permanence in Seattle’s Central District, which appeared in ARCHITECT Magazine on April 15, 2025.