Africatown Community declares Liberty Bank a Historic Landmark

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Africatown Community declares Liberty Bank a Historic Landmark

Posted on June 27, 2013 by africatowncommunity

The Africatown Community has declared The Liberty Bank of Seattle an Historical and Cultural Preservation site. Liberty was chartered in 1968 and was the Pacific Northwest’s first and only black owned bank.

The property address is 2320 E Union WA 98122 located where the old Key Bank now stands. Liberty Bank was brought into a legal lawsuit in the early 1990′s.

The Seattle Historic Preservation Program.

In 1970, the Seattle City Council secured Pioneer Square’s survival with the City’s first historic preservation district, and voters approved an initiative for the Pike Place Market historic district two years later.

In 1973, the Seattle City Council adopted a Landmarks Preservation Ordinance to safeguard properties of historic and architectural significance around the city.

Historic Preservation Program.

Whether it’s a 19th century log house, an Art Deco school or a prehistoric shell midden, these places are silent witnesses to the history of King County and to its people’s lives and cultures.

The Africatown Community feels it is in the best interest of the community as a whole, for its only black owned bank to be designated a Historical and Preservation site.

To read more regarding the lawsuit that involved Liberty Bank, refer to the link below:

Liberty Bank – FDIC Certificate #:27268

940 F.2d 465: Federal Deposit Insurance corporation, As Receiverfor Liberty Bank of Seattle, Plaintiff, v. Sim Henderson, et al., Defendants.J.Thomas Wood; Barbara Wood, Husband and Wife, Defendants-counter-claimants-plaintiffs-appellants, v. Thomas Oldfield, Counter-defendant-appellee.
Liberty Bank Lawsuit

8 thoughts on “Africatown Community declares Liberty Bank a Historic Landmark”
Ian on June 27, 2013 at 4:44 pm said:

I am no expert on the topic, but I think Liberty Bank was not founded solely by African Americans. I believe it was a multi-cultural affair with a Jewish founder (Jack Richlen) & an American of Japanese descent – George Takuta (not sure on spelling). Let’s not re-write history!

shamwow on June 27, 2013 at 8:18 pm said:
Nowhere does it say that the bank was founded solely by African Americans. Nowhere. What an interesting accusation about re-writing history. I wonder where the motivation for your comment truly lies.

Really, it’s an interesting and ironic thing you say about re-writing history. That’s an entirely different conversation though.

Liberty bank was the only black owned bank in Seattle. That is a well documented fact. You can re-write the history however you want.

Ian on June 27, 2013 at 10:16 pm said:
Shamwow – those founders were also shareholders.

Ryan A on June 27, 2013 at 8:25 pm said:
Am I right to assume that giving the old Liberty Bank historical status would effectively kill Capitol Hill Housing’s plan to build affordable housing at this site?

banking history on June 27, 2013 at 8:57 pm said:
Liberty bank was closed in June of 1988. With backing investment from the FDIC and major local powers (Boeing, Weyerhauser…) it was folded into Emerald City Bank, and remained the only African-American owned/operated bank in WA. The Times and PI archives have many articles on the mismanagement of Emerald City that led to its closure in 1993. Key bank operated at the site for 20 years.

melissa on June 27, 2013 at 9:17 pm said:
I don’t understand. Is it still important if blacks did not own it?

Ian on June 27, 2013 at 10:15 pm said:
Ryan – historic designation would mean it would cost the developer more money if they had to maintain some aspect of the original buildings integrity or character.

csw on June 27, 2013 at 10:38 pm said:
Would a plaque and a photo be enough? With perhaps an additional display in the office of the new building?

Omari on June 27, 2013 at 11:19 pm said:
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EVERY INSTITUTION THAT AFRICATOWN PEOPLE HAVE DEVELOPED HAS BEEN TAKEN OVER / SUBVERTED / ROBBED BY DOWNTOWN EUROPEAN SETTLER COLONIAL “JUDEO-CHRISTIAN” TERRORIST AS WAS DONE TO ALL NATIVE AMERICAN “INDIANS” INSTITUTIONS. THEY ARE AIDED BY THE CLARENCE THOMAS / NORM RICE / SAM AND HERM MCKINNEY NEO-COLONIAL SELF / COMMUNITY HATERS. THESE INSTITUTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SOIC (SEATTLE OPPORTUNITES, INDUSTRIAL CENTER), VOLUME FOODS (CO-OP GROCERY STORE) MODEL CITIES, BLACK FRONT CO-OP GROCERIES STORES, NEGRO VOTERS LEAGUE, CORE (CONGRESS OF RACIAL EQUALITY, CENTRAL AREA SCHOOL COUNCIL, CAMP (CENTRAL AREA MOTIVATION PROGRAM) ,, BLACK ACADEMY OF MUSIC, BLACK ARTS WEST, BLACK PANTHER PARTY, CAYA (CENTRAL AREA YOUTH ASSOCIATION, SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL LITTLE LEAGUE, LIBERTY BANK, CENTRAL AREA CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION, CAPDA (CENTRAL AREA PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY), SOUL ACADEMY , AFRICAN AMERICAN ACADEMY, CENTRAL AREA SCHOOLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS (TT MINOR, HORACE MANN, HARRISON / M.L. KING), MEANY MIDDLE SCHOOL , GARFIELD A AND GARFIELD B , CANNON HOUSE, RANDOLPH CARTER INDUSTRIAL WORKSHOP, NEGRO VOTERS LEAGUE, AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MUSEUM AND CULTURE CENTER AT THE FORMER COLMAN SCHOOL SITE (NOW 36 CONDOS / APARTMENTS OWNED BY EUROPEAN SETTLER SEATTLE HOUSING RESOURCE GROUP WITH FAKE NAAM SCAM MUSEUM IN THE OLD GYM AREA ETC

YES THE DESTRUCTIVE EUROPEAN SETTLER ANTI- INDIAN / ANTI -BLACK INSTITUTIONS HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVE ALONG WITH THEIR NEO-COLONIAL MESSY JESSEY JACKSON & SONS PREACHER / POLITICIAN “CIVIL RIGHTS” CAREERIST PUPPETS. YET STILL WE RISE!!!!! THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES, Omari Tahir FOUNDER / VICE-PRESIDENT AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MUSEUM AND CULTURE CENTER AT THE FORMER COLMAN SCHOOL SITE, CO-CHAIR BLAACK ALLIANCE FOR EDUCATION (1970 TO PRESENT)