8 Best Sights in The Central District, Seattle

First emerging as an online art space to uplift Black arts, culture, and community, Arte Noir now lives in a permanent home in the C.D. Part gallery, part shop, and part community gathering space, Arte Noir showcases thought-provoking visual arts from Black C.D. artists, alongside a small shop selling jewelry, books, and home goods from Black artists that honors the C.D.'s roots and fight against its gentrification.

Heading west on Cherry Street in the Central District, you'll see a 17-foot-tall mural of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the side of Fat's Chicken & Waffles restaurant. Pacific Northwest artist James Crespinel painted the mural on the eastern face of the building in 1995 and touched up his faded work two decades later while the community gathered to watch.

A city landmark that offers a little something for history buffs, architecture fans, and public-art lovers alike, this 1914 library was the first to be funded entirely by the city. It also houses one of the largest collections of African American literature and history on the West Coast, including a dynamic collection of Black and social justice-focused childrens books. Local artists Marita Dingus and Vivian Linder created sculptures and three-dimensional relief panels for the branch, which can be seen in the spacious corridor connecting the two buildings. Paintings of former slaves and abolitionists Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth by artist Eddie Ray Walker are also on display. Don't miss the recently restored Soul Pole, a totem pole depicting African American history, located outside on the grassy area on the corner of 23rd Avenue and East Yesler Way.

Founded in 1886, First African Methodist Episcopal is the state's oldest church founded by African Americans. The community's nexus has operated out of this historic building since 1912. FAME's gospel choirs are among the city's best, and discussions with intellectuals, authors, artists, and the community are regularly scheduled.

Adjacent to the Northwest African American Museum, Jimi Hendrix Park pays homage to one of the Central District's most famous sons. The 2½-acre park features walking paths, landscaping, interpretative signs about Hendrix's legacy, and a colorful 100-foot-long outdoor public art piece called the Shadow Wave Wall. The sculpture, which consists of undulating sections of gray and purple metal with cut-out designs, has a huge mural of the musical icon engraved at the center.  A short walk from the park, the under-construction Judkins Park Station also features two large-scale public artworks of a teen Jimi Hendrix.

Gospel-music fans are drawn to the home of the state's largest Black congregation. The church's first gatherings began in 1889; back then, its prayer meetings were held in homes and in a store. The church, a designated official Seattle landmark, was incorporated in 1903, and after a number of moves, settled in its current simple but sturdy brick building. Eighteen stained-glass windows, each with an original design that honors a key Black figure, glow within the sanctuary. Beneath the bell tower, James Washington's sculpture The Oracle of Truth, a gray boulder carved with the image of a lamb, is dedicated to children struggling to find truth.

Focusing on telling the history and stories of African Americans in the Northwest, this museum housed in an old school building tells stories through a diverse collection of well-curated and insightful photos, artifacts, and compelling narratives. Past exhibits have included Xenobia Bailey: The Aesthetics of Funk, and The Test: The Tuskegee Project about the first African American aviation units in the U.S. military to serve in combat. One gallery is dedicated to the work of local artists.

Seward Park, about 15 minutes from the C.D., is a relatively undiscovered gem on the shores of Lake Washington. The 300-acre park includes trails through old-growth forest, mountain views, eagles' nests, a 2½-mile biking and walking path, a native plant garden, art studio, and a small swimming beach. For an informative self-guided tour of the park, available as a printable PDF, visit  www.seattleolmsted.org/self-guided-tours. Turn your park visit into a bike tour on select summer weekends for Bicycle Weekends, when Lake Washington Boulevard (south of Mount Baker Beach to the entrance of Seward Park) is closed to motorized traffic from Friday evening to Monday morning. Check www.parkways.seattle.gov.