Can you believe Atlantic Street Center is 99 years old? In 1910, William Taft was president, the average annual salary was $750, the Titanic's fateful journey was still two years in the future, and Atlantic Street Center opened its doors! The original purpose of the organization, known as the Deaconness Settlement, was a settlement house for Italian immigrants. Before long The Settlement House was providing medical, educational, and social aid to neighborhood families.

Soon it became clear that more space was needed, and in 1927 a much larger building was constructed on South Atlantic Street (pictured at right). Administrative operations are still housed in this building today.

Not long after, The Settlement House implemented a school-based services model to address rising youth delinquency rates in Seattle.

By the mid 1950s, the Settlement had changed its name to Seattle Atlantic Street Center, hired staff with experience in social services, and began providing educational, recreational, and counseling services. About this time, Atlantic Street Center began providing an even wider array of services to the residents of the Rainier Valley. Pictured at left is Tsuguo "Ike" Ikeda, Atlantic Street Center's first Executive Director, with two unidentified employees, circa 1955. All Atlantic Street Center services and collaborations centered on the same mission: to better neighborhood conditions and help people live together in harmony.

In the 1980s, Atlantic Street Center expanded counseling and outreach programs and broadened collaborative relationships with communities of color. During this time, we established several programs to provide intensified educational and social support to youth of color, homeless children, and youth involved in the juvenile justice system.

In the early 1990s, Atlantic Street Center opened the doors of our first Family Center located on Beacon Hill, followed five years later by the opening of another Family Center in NewHolly.

Since then, Atlantic Street Center has evolved to become one of the premier youth serving non-profit organizations in this area. Our direct service staff provides a variety of academic, youth development, early literacy, mental health, and family support programs and services to more than 3,000 children and their family members each year.

Please help us celebrate and honor Atlantic Street Center's 99 year history of serving the children, youth and families of our community by attending our 99th Birthday Bash! Contact us at ascinfo@atlanticstreet.org or 206-329-2050 for more information.