The owners of the block on the left want to sell. On the right, you can see the neighborhood already changing.

The owners of the block on the left want to sell. On the right, you can see the neighborhood already changing. KELLY O

The intersection of 23rd and Union in the Central District has become the symbolic heart of the fight against gentrification in Seattle. On the northeast corner, you have Uncle Ike’s, a shiny new recreational pot shop and accompanying accessories store. On the northwest corner, a gas station and boxing gym, both of which are slated for redevelopment. On the southwest corner, there’s a 92-unit, six-story mixed-use development under construction. On the southeast corner is the last remaining holdout, the MidTown Center, a sprawling, 106,000-square-foot property that’s home to a post office and half a dozen African American–owned businesses that cater to this historically black neighborhood. But the MidTown Center is not immune to the forces of change…

Kathleen Richards is the former managing editor of The Stranger. Prior to joining The Stranger, she was the co-editor of the East Bay Express in Oakland, Calif., where she also wrote award-winning stories...