Queen Anne Historical Society

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Historic Name Change

On April 12, 2021, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a resolution that recognizes 'Uptown' as the correct name for the neighborhood many refer to as "Lower Queen Anne.

"District 7 Councilmember Andrew J. Lewis -- who resides in a historic Uptown building -- sponsored the bill.

Among supporters of the bill: Uptown Alliance

A front-page article in the Queen Anne & Magnolia News of April 21, 2021 cites Queen Anne Historical Society President Michael Herschensohn, noting" Herschensohn said he didn't used to buy into the insistence by Uptown Alliance founders that the neighborhood should be called Uptown, rather than Lower Queen Anne. In retrospect, however, he believes it just makes sense. First, the name Uptown was used in the names of various businesses and buildings for quite some time. The Uptown Theatre, now the SIFF Cinema Uptown, was built in 1926, and played an integral part of the community's history, Herschensohn said. Plus, Herschensohn said the name Uptown has been used in many cities as an opposite of downtown, which was the case in Seattle. 'It makes sense to call it Uptown.'"