page_title: South Lake Union, Seattle
section_title: 21st century
hierarchical_section_title: South Lake Union, Seattle / History / 21st century
caption_attribution_description: English: Amazon headquarters building in Seattle (South Lake Union), John and Boren St.
context_page_description: South Lake Union is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because it is at the southern tip of Lake Union.
  The official boundaries of the City of Seattle Urban Center are Denny Way on the south, beyond which is Denny Triangle; Interstate 5 on the east, beyond which is Capitol Hill; Aurora Avenue N. on the west, beyond which is Lower Queen Anne; and Galer Street, Lake Union, and E. Newton Place on the north, beyond which are Westlake and Eastlake, but like most Seattle neighborhoods, its precise boundaries are indeterminate. In particular Cornish College of the Arts and Vulcan Inc. properties such as 2200 and 2201 Westlake are officially in Denny Triangle for city planning and zoning purposes but often referred to as South Lake Union. The portion of South Lake Union east of Fairview Avenue N. is historically known as Cascade. Historic structures continue to stand in the Cascade neighborhood today.
  Its main thoroughfares are Valley and Mercer Streets and Dexter, 9th, Westlake, and Fairview Avenues N. and Eastlake Avenue E.
context_section_description: Only a few of the older residential and light industrial structures of historic Cascade Neighborhood retain their original uses today; the historic Immanuel Lutheran Church and Saint Spiridon Orthodox Cathedral remain. Within the boundaries of Cascade Neighborhood as of 2008 are the REI flagship store, NBBJ architects (in the Alley24 office and apartment development built around the landmark New Richmond Laundry Building), the headquarters of PEMCO, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the headquarters of Zymogenetics (in the old City Light Steam Plant).
  Elsewhere in South Lake Union the picture is similar. Quite a few older buildings survive, but few retain their historic uses.
  In April 2008, the new Lake Union Park opened to the public with a pedestrian bridge across the western waterway, a walkway along the waterfront, 1.6 acres (6,500 m²) of green space, landscaping and much more. The 12-acre (49,000 m²) park was completed in 2010. The historic ships wharf provides long-term moorage for historic vessels; and the Maritime Heritage Center will provide an array of cultural, educational, and recreational activities. Vessels currently moored at the wharf include the steamer Virginia V, the lightship Swiftsure, the tug Arthur Foss, the fireboat Duwamish, and the salmon troller Twilight. The schooner Wawona was also moored nearby at Northwest Seaport until it was dismantled in 2009. Several smaller historic boats are just to the east at the Center for Wooden Boats.
  In December 2007, Amazon.com announced it would be consolidating its Seattle offices in South Lake Union; occupancy began in 2010.
  Opened in December 2012, the Museum of History and Industry relocated from Seattle's Montlake neighborhood to the former Naval Reserve Training Center, or "Armory."
  South Lake Union is also home to Denny Park, the oldest park in the city.
caption: Amazon.com headquarters building in South Lake Union
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