The Odd Fellows Temple by Steve Bowles

If you’ve driven through Capitol Hill in the last hundred or so years, you’ve probably seen it; and if you’re a Seattle local with even the vaguest interest in books, music, or ice cream, you’ve probably been inside it. The Oddfellows building on 10th and Pine has been a Seattle institution for decades, but only since the momentous move-in of Elliott Bay Book Co. and Everyday Music earlier this year has the massive, early 20th century brick structure become the focal point of Capitol Hill shopping. What’s less known about the building is its intriguing, tumultuous, and rather odd history.

Original Odd Fellows Sign by Shauna

The building’s funny name comes from its original owners and occupants: the Odd Fellows themselves, members of the fraternal organization that was first created in England in the 1700s. The premise of the society, founded on a unifying belief in the value of “Friendship, Love, and Truth,” was that members would donate money to the group so that the group could in turn, support its members if they were to fall on hard times, which in 18^th century England, they often did. The Odd Fellows spread rapidly throughout England, building halls, lodges and temples in which to congregate and live.  In 1909 a few adventurous Oregonian Odd Fellows decided to build a lodge in Seattle, and they built the now famous Odd Fellows Temple on 10^th and Pine.  The building still retains the regal gold lettering of its former title.

Century Ballroom Dancing

Seattle Odd Fellows owned and lived in the large, 3-story building, but its history was largely uneventful until the 70s when artists began renting space in the building’s top floor. By the 90s, the Temple was the pulsing heart of Capitol Hill’s cultural scene with several prominent Seattle arts groups working out of the building, such as COCA and 911 Media Arts.  The various halls in the building were often used for concerts and performances, even leading to a temporary closure of the building in 1993 when a Mudhoney concert drew 800 people into a room which, according to code, could only accommodate 299. In 1996, the Temple’s major ballroom became the Century Ballroom, still Seattle’s premier swing dance venue. The Odd Fellows Temple had acquired new meaning for artists and patrons of the arts in Seattle; it had become a temple for creativity.

This joyous arts fest came to a screeching halt in 2007 when the building was sold to a local developer and many of its occupants, including Velocity Dance Center, were priced out of the building within a year. Even the fate of the Century Ballroom was unclear for some time. Though the new owner, Ted Schroth, spoke frequently about wanting to preserve the building’s artistic heritage, but conceded that the economic realities of developing a building have nasty, but unavoidable consequences.

Oddfellows Cafe and Bar by beatnikside

However, the night is darkest before the dawn, and 2009 saw a massive renovation of the building and the move-ins of some spectacular tenants, including local celebrity club/bar/restaurant owner Linda Derschang’s newest project, the Oddfellows Bar & Café, and the aforementioned Everyday Music and Molly Moon’s.

Elliott Bay Book by spratt504

The most exciting move in, however, has certainly been Elliott Bay Book Co. earlier this year. Elliott Bay, formerly housed in another historic building in Pioneer Square, has increased the cultural value of the building and Capitol Hill itself tremendously, especially in the wake of beloved indy bookstore Baily/Coy’s closing just a few months prior. The capacity of the building to be a social gathering place has been realized in a way that no one thought possible. Many are still bitter about the ejection of some of the building’s key former tenants, and rightfully so. But everyone can take solace in the fact that the building has been given a new life and is once again the heart of Capitol Hill.

Molly Moon's by justsmartdesign

No visit to Capitol Hill is complete without visiting one or all of the building’s bustling retail spaces. It’s always fun to nudge your way past the perpetual line of hungry Cap Hillers, waiting to get a cone from Molly Moon’s, and into NuBe Green.  NuBe Green is a new store that sells gorgeous beds, lamps, boxes, and other aesthetically awesome objects, which are all made in the US using sustainable methods. They also focus on selling items made by local artists and artisans. After NuBe Green, head over to the Seattle Running Company.  An individualized fitting session with the friendly and incredibly knowledgeable guys that work here will make you never want to step inside the odious nightmare of Niketown ever again. And, as always, the Century Ballroom offers exceptional dance classes and performances all the time. Though the Oddfellows Building’s position at the center of Seattle’s avant-garde artistic movement is all but over, its role as one of Seattle’s foremost retail and social hotspots has just begun.  –By Joseph Staten