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- Seattle's Ellis Island
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- Jessica Partnow
A large abandoned building sits at the southern edge of Seattle's International District. You may have noticed it. It's surrounded by arterials and if you had to guess you'd probably think it was an old elementary school. There's nothing in the red bricks and tall windows to indicate the complicated history just inside. This was a processing center for immigrants from 1932 to 2004. Known to some as Seattle's Ellis Island, this immigration station on Airport Way offered a first glimpse of America to many of our region's new arrivals.
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Piece Description
A large abandoned building sits at the southern edge of Seattle's International District. You may have noticed it. It's surrounded by arterials and if you had to guess you'd probably think it was an old elementary school. There's nothing in the red bricks and tall windows to indicate the complicated history just inside. This was a processing center for immigrants from 1932 to 2004. Known to some as Seattle's Ellis Island, this immigration station on Airport Way offered a first glimpse of America to many of our region's new arrivals.
Broadcast History
KUOW 949 Seattle, February 23, 2010
Transcript
The Pacific Northwest first attracted Chinese immigrants with the lure of gold in the 1850s. The late 1800s saw an influx of Chinese laborers that helped build the state's railroads and worked in the region's growing industries. Many of these new immigrants passed through immigration stations, first in Port Townsend, and then, as Seattle grew, in a center above The Pike Place Market.
Chinn: "The US needed the labor to build the city."
Cassie Chinn is a historian at The Wing Luke Asian Art Museum. Her family immigrated to Washington in the early 1900s.
Chinn: "So for instance, the Ship Canal was built by immigrant labor. The bricks for the roads, paved by Chinese laborers. So there was a huge need, especially after the Seattle fire, for labor to rebuild."
But the boom times didn't last. And as the economy suffered so did immigrants who were seen as a threat to jobs. Chinese immigrants...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:A large abandoned building sits at the southern edge of Seattle's International District. You may have noticed it. It's surrounded by arterials and if you had to guess you'd probably think it was an old elementary school. There's nothing in the red bricks and tall windows to indicate the complicated history just inside. This was a processing center for immigrants from 1932 to 1999. Known to some as Seattle's Ellis Island, this immigration station on Airport Way offered a first glimpse of America to many of our region's new arrivals.
OUTRO:Funding provided by the KUOW Program Venture Fund. In our next segment, we visit the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skinny Love | Bon Iver | 00:00 |
Additional Credits
Funded by the KUOW Program Venture Fund.
Producer: Sarah Stuteville
Editor: Jim Gates
Additional Reporting: Jessica Partnow, Alex Stonehill.
Photography: Eroyn Franklin
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