The original facility opened in 1968 at the site of a former city stable and garage as part of a new plan to haul garbage from Seattle to the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill rather than use local dumps.

[13] The facility was repeatedly criticized for its lack of safety barriers separating people from the compactor pit, the noise generated by trucks and various machines,[14] and unpleasant odors that permeated towards nearby residential areas,[15] prompting Wallingford residents to petition city hall for stronger smell controls.

[18] The Seattle city government adopted new waste management regulations in 1998, including plans to renovate the existing transfer facilities after they had surpassed their designed lifespan.

[19] A separate solid waste facilities master plan was published in 2003 and proposed modest expansion of the North Transfer Station, along with other modernization measures.

[21] In 2005, the Seattle City Council approved a $30 million plan to demolish and rebuild the North Transfer Facility, which would expand by 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) that was acquired through the condemnation of an Oroweat bakery building and a street vacation.

[25][26] The $52 million renovation project was approved in 2011 by Seattle Public Utilities following consultations from the local community and would be funded by a rate increase for garbage disposal services.

[34] It was designed by Mahlum Architects with environmentally friendly features, including a green roof, skylights, rooftop solar panels, improved ventilation, and on-site stormwater treatment.

[38] The east side of the transfer station facing Woodlawn Avenue North has a small park with a playground, basketball court, seating areas, and exercise equipment.

[34][39] The main building has a public plaza with an outdoor sculpture, "Reclaimed" by Jean Shin, that uses 10,000 feet (3,000 m) of salvaged steel rebar from the original facility to depict the topography of the site before the 1960s.