The Northwest Native Cultural Center initiative is continuing plans to bring a native peoples cultural center to Seattle Center, despite not being picked in the first round of south Fun Forest replacement project proposals last year. After redesigning the conceptual drawings for the new venue and reaching out to the Center, Seattle Center Director Robert Nellams responded with a letter of intent directed at members of the NNCC earlier this month, pledging his commitment to working with them to help “the historic vision [of a Northwest Native Cultural Center] come true and … building a long-term partnership.”
Back in December Seattle Center officials opted to move forward with a number of proposals, including the Dale Chihuly ‘glass house’, a new studio space for KEXP and a kids playground/open space area. But recent developments indicate that a NNCC project at Seattle Center is not off the table.
“This truly has the potential to be a huge win-win for the Native American community, Seattle Center and the public at large,” Nellams said in a statement, concurring with the NNCC that there should be a greater representation of “Seattle’s heritage and the Native people from whom its name comes” at Seattle Center.
Preliminary drawing by architectural firm Jones + Jones via the NNCC Facebook page.
The current incarnation of the venue design will be a 14,800-square-foot longhouse-style building with three levels, incorporating a historical introduction to the region’s Coast Salish people, a gallery featuring Northwest Coast artwork, a special event space with a stage and seating area, a gift shop, classrooms, and Seattle’s first cafe featuring Northwest Native food. The building will also include a landscaped terrace with a teaching garden where people can learn about the Northwest’s indigenous plants and trees. The design drawings were developed by project architect Johnpaul Jones, whose firm Jones + Jones, designed the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
“We are encouraged by Mr. Nellams’ interest in exploring a Native cultural venue at Seattle Center,” said NNCC president Roger Fernandes (Lower Elwha Klallam), a Native artist and storyteller. “We believe the Cultural Center will be a unique place for all the Coast Salish people, where they can present and interpret their own stories through a multimedia experience. The facility will also help fulfill Seattle Center’s mission to provide attractions for people of every heritage and background.”
According to Nellams, the NNCC’s core values are ones that fit in with that of Seattle Center, and can and will be embraced together:
- To provide a facility open to all
- To offer an authentic cultural experience
- To enrich Seattle’s legacy
- To provide meaningful green space and environmental education
- To link Seattle’s past and future.
For more information on the project and to follow updates, check out the NNCC Facebook page.