Photoessay #2582 - Mapping project

I have been working on this  little massively time consuming mapping project.  The idea is to illustrate with maps the generally accepted idea that the newly arrived Sephardic families lived close to each other and to their synagogue about the time of family formation around 1920.  The newly built Settlement House/Educational Center (marked by the red x) was also in the neighborhood.

I am following three pioneer families headed by

Jacob Policar
Nessim Alhadeff
Solomon Calvo

As the their children grew up and married and generally became more affluent, they moved south into the Mount Baker and Seward Park areas.  The area where they grew up became largely African-American.  The Seattle Section of the Council of Jewish Women felt they had more important priorities and sold the building.  The community programs moved to a new home at Yesler Terrace, a new housing project.

The first map (shown) shows the 'old neighborhood with the very specific Sephardic neighborhood shaded in by red.  The homes of the Alhadeff (A), Calvo (C) and Policar (P) until around 1930 are marked by letters.  Sites of the Sephardic Bikur Cholim synagogue are marked by red boxes.

The second map will show the homes of their children, including many waterfront and view homes as well as the address of the third home of Sephardic Bikur Cholim.  From about 1935-55.

I got the idea to do this when the Young Professor came to speak to our class and both faculty members said it would be great if somebody could actually map it out.  So I decided to do it.  I occupy a precarious position as an access student.  I'm also doing it without actually talking to family members, looking at City Directories both online and at Special Collections, examining some of the oral histories and Google maps.  I found it hard to get a good map for the area I wanted using online sources so ended up scanning paper maps.