Something new is going up on Broadway between Pike and Pine. And it’s not a mixed-use, shit-box apartment building or a Starbucks. It’s an installation that’s being launched to honor Capitol Hill, its history, and the people who have given the area its character. It utilizes social media and the space of 10 storefront windows. That’s right, it’s big and it’s orange. For the past year, cocreators—and Seattle Central graphic design students—Gregory Radjaw Smith and Jessica Ornelas, along with photographer/videographer Tim Haddock, have been studying the area’s population growth. Their installation examines the evolution of Capitol Hill and documents the impact of increased development and gentrification on the neighborhood. #LOVETHEHILL wants to promote a public discussion that balances the positive attachment people have to the Hill with their concerns about its changes. In July, the project will release a compilation of songs, curated with the help of KEXP’s Sharlese Metcalf, featuring 20 Capitol Hill bands. Smith and Ornelas met me at the site where Atlas Clothing used to reside to discuss the project…
