Downtown Seattle Stories

In the sixth and concluding episode of Downtown Stories from the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA), producer/host Feliks Banel sits down at Westlake Park with DSA President and CEO Jon Scholes to talk about the future of downtown Seattle. We also speak with Heidi Hughes, executive director of Friends of Seattle Waterfront, and developer Liz Dunn of Dunn & Hobbs. Downtown Stories is a podcast series exploring the past, present and future of downtown Seattle and commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA).

In Episode Five of Downtown Stories from the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA), producer/host Feliks Banel sits down at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square with Kate Joncas, who served as CEO of the DSA for 20 years beginning in 1994. During that time, the Metropolitan Improvement District (MID) was formed, and the city faced challenges like the WTO and the Nisqually Earthquake, and opportunities such as the emerging new waterfront and continued economic growth. Downtown Stories is a podcast series exploring the past, present and future of downtown Seattle and commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA).

In Episode Four of Downtown Stories from the Downtown Seattle Association, producer/host Feliks Banel sits down at a coffee shop with Virginia Anderson, former director of Seattle Center, and one of the people most closely involved in DSA's efforts to create new housing in that era, and to launch the DSA initiative that became Bellwether Housing. Downtown Stories is a podcast series exploring the past, present and future of downtown Seattle and commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA).

In Episode Three of Downtown Stories from the Downtown Seattle Association, producer/host Feliks Banel sits down at Westlake Park with former mayor of Seattle Norm Rice. Rice was mayor during the 1990s, when Seattle's retail core was in transition, with Pine Street between 4th Avenue and 5th Avenue becoming the front line in a vigorous debate over the city's future. Downtown Stories is a podcast series exploring the past, present and future of downtown Seattle and commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA). For more information about the DSA, please visit: downtownseattle.org/

In Episode Two of Downtown Stories from the Downtown Seattle Association, we take a literal drive through some of the changes that came to the city from the 1960s to the 1990s. John Gilmore, who worked for the DSA from 1966 to 1994, joined producer/host Feliks Banel for a front-seat view of history -- as well as some thoughts about the future -- of the world's most dynamic downtown. Downtown Stories is a podcast series exploring the past, present and future of downtown Seattle and commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA). For more information about the DSA, please visit: downtownseattle.org/

In Episode One of Downtown Stories from the Downtown Seattle Association, we explore the roots of the modern city in its 19th and early 20th century history, from the 1850s to World War II. Leonard Garfield, Executive Director of the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI), joined producer/host Feliks Banel for a conversation at the foot of Yesler Way, and in the shadow of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Downtown Stories is a podcast series exploring the past, present and future of downtown Seattle and commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA). For more information about the DSA, please visit: https://downtownseattle.org/