Some 125 years later, this new rail station opens right onto Brooklyn Ave. Moore’s plan for a bustling “Brooklyn” was foiled by an 1895 infrastructure project, when David Denny put tracks for the new electric trolley line down University Way instead of Brooklyn Avenue. “Beautiful residences were being built by some of the best people in the city,” Moore claimed, sounding like a certain ex-president.

In 1890, developer James Moore dubbed the area Brooklyn, in homage to New York City. Called “Fragment Brooklyn,” the 300-foot-long piece is a nod to University District history. This misplaced urban streetscape was created (using metal mesh sculpture and video installations) by Seattle-based Lead Pencil Studio, aka Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo. While waiting on the platform, 85 feet beneath street level, you’ll also notice a curious sight: what appear to be apartment windows, some with air conditioning units, and people moving behind them.ĪrtSEA: Notes on Northwest Culture is Crosscut’s weekly arts & culture newsletter. In addition to bringing visual splash, LMN designed the lightning bolts of color help riders distinguish northbound and southbound trains. The first stop on the new extension is the U District station, designed by local LMN Architects and featuring big, zigzagging overhead tubes in blue and orange.

Roosevelt light rail station