Feisty colony of houseboaters anchors unique community

By MARK HIGGINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Jules James lives within earshot of the busiest stretch of freeway in the state, yet his commute is a five-minute walk on cobblestone streets that descend through Eastlake like bumpy country roads.

Along the way, James points out things that make Eastlake special: its wooden schoolhouse, the oldest in the city; the pint-sized sidewalk garden planted by an FBI agent who lives nearby; an eagle carved into the stump of an old tree.

At the bottom of the hill is the soul of Eastlake, a floating colony of houseboats saved 30 years ago by a plucky group of writers, professors, drop-outs, dreamers and dissidents. They won the right to live on the lake and in so doing helped protect the shoreline from overdevelopment.

The bohemian houseboat spirit lingers in Eastlake, but it is dissipating as expensive condos and homes attract a generation of newcomers who know nothing of the neighborhood's land-use victories.

"Everyone is now an unindicted co-conspirator of yuppiefication," jokes longtime resident Steve Excell, who works as a downtown public affairs consultant.

Eastlake is unlike any other neighborhood in Seattle. Wedged between Interstate 5, downtown and the University of Washington, it is a melange of homes, backyard and attic apartments, condos, boat yards, mom-and-pop shops and great ethnic restaurants such as Siam on Lake Union and Tommy's Japanese Restaurant.

This was the neighborhood where William Boeing flew his first floatplane in 1916.

Only a handful of industrial companies, including the 78-year-old Lake Union Drydock Co., have survived the changes. The family-owned drydock repairs ferries, yachts and trawlers -- all within a few boat lengths of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and ZymoGenetics Inc., which are looking for cures for cancer and diabetes.

You'll not find a Starbucks, Tully's or almost any other chain store in Eastlake, a fact residents wear like an urban badge of courage.

"The thing that is so cool about our neighborhood is that almost every business is owner-occupied by someone who works every day behind the counter," says James, who owns and operates Lake Union Mail.

Neighbor Michael Mooney agrees: "Eastlake to me is a perfect spot for mom-and-pop places. My sense is the neighborhood really supports that and sees the importance of it."

Mooney, his wife, Louise, and two of their children run Louisa's Cafe and Bakery on Eastlake Avenue. The cafe has a mouth-watering menu of homemade soups, chicken enchiladas, veggie lasagna and fresh-baked treats. Local artists are invited to show their work on the restaurant walls.

James' parcel shipping and mailbox shop next door is no bigger than a postage stamp, but it is a gathering spot for neighbors and business owners looking to swap news, gossip and opinions. It is like a neighorhood barber shop -- 1990s style.

Continued:

• Activists have scored key land-use victories
• Today it looks like a war zone but tomorrow ...
• 'Commuter drag' is blossoming into real community