The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ Landmarks Preservation Board (LPB) voted unanimously to approve the designation of The People’s Wall at 1919 E Spruce Street (formerly 172 20th Avenue) as a Seattle Landmark. The timely 11:0:0 vote took place at the May 20, 2026 LPB meeting.
For decades, the People’s Wall has served as both a place of remembrance and a community gathering place, reflecting the voices, histories, struggles, and aspirations of generations of Black Seattle residents. Dion Henderson’s 1970 mural documents moments of cultural expression, political organizing, remembrance, and social change. It is a recognizable feature of Seattle’s Central District and a powerful tribute to the movement and the Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party; at the site of their second headquarters. The mural also names and pays tribute to prominent figures as well as community members whose lives were lost as a result of racial oppression.
The Landmarks Preservation Board found that The People’s Wall meets multiple designation standards, recognizing its historical, cultural, artistic, and visual significance to Seattle.
The standards cited by the Board include:
- It is the location of, or is associated in a significant with, an historic event with a significant effect upon the community, City, state, or nation.
- It is associated in a significant way with the life of a person important in the history of the City, state, or nation.
- It is associated in a significant way with a significant aspect of the cultural, political, or economic heritage of the community, City, state, or nation.
- It is an outstanding work of a designer or builder.
- Because of its prominence of spatial location, contrasts of siting, age, or scale, it is an easily identifiable visual feature of its neighborhood or the City and contributes to the distinctive quality or identity of such neighborhood of the City.
Features of the Landmark to be preserved include:
- The mural, which features portraits of prominent Black figures such as Angela Davis, Malcolm X and Black Panther Party co-founder Huey Newton
- The “L-shaped” retaining wall the mural is painted on
- And, the eastern portion of the site where the wall sits, including the land between the wall and the East and North property lines.
The designation recognizes not only the physical features of the wall and mural, but also the role The People’s Wall has played in Seattle’s cultural landscape. Throughout its history, a portion of the wall and mural have survived the changes in the neighborhood and community where art, civic dialogue, and collective memory intersect.
The designation process will now move into its next phase. City staff will work to develop a controls and incentives agreement for the property before preparing a designating ordinance for consideration by the Seattle City Council’s Libraries, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee.
You can read the full landmark nomination here.
Since its founding in 1991, the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods has supported community-led projects and programs that strengthen connections, build trust, and help neighbors shape the future of Seattle together such as Neighborhood Matching Fund, P-Patch Gardening Program, Historic Preservation, and more. Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Historic Preservation Program is responsible for the designation and protection of more than 400 historic structures, sites, objects, and vessels, along with eight historic districts located throughout the city.
