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  • Dept. of Neighborhoods

You're probably not supposed to wander the halls of the Labor Temple in Belltown before going to Green Leaf, which is in the basement*. The buff-colored brick building, dating from 1942, is neither ornate nor beautiful; the exterior, according to the city, is "a good example of 1940s Modernist design in its materials and lack of ornamentation," with the only detail of note its "large windows with spandrels of aqua-colored terra cotta tile below." (The main entrance, despite its decorative seal and "LABOR TEMPLE" in both deco-style lettering and neon, doesn't make the cut.)

The inside isn't palatial or even pretty, but there's history in the hallways' still air—recent history, anyway, which smells like waxed linoleum and the memory of cigarette smoke. The stained wood doors have fogged-glass panes with lettering like "ROOFERS & WATERPROOFERS LOCAL #54"...

*And is also open for lunch right now!

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