The Ave

Once "a department store eight blocks long," The Ave has gradually turned into what now resembles an eight-block-long global food court.

[3] The story of The Ave reflects the dynamics of many urban neighborhoods and the social and economic problems of countless American cities, though it is also a crossroads of diverse subcultures.

From 2002 to 2004, the city and the neighborhood made some steps countering this trend by repaving the Ave and adding benches, bus bulbs, and period lighting.

[citation needed] Ye College Inn, a Tudor Revival building at the northeast corner of NE 40th Street near the south end of The Ave, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Most of these are either apartment buildings or retail establishments, but the list also includes current and former theaters and the University District post office.

Erroneous signage for "University Avenue NE" at the intersection with NE 41st Street (2008)
On the Ave during U. District Street Fair (2007)
This building in the 4200 block was built in 1924 as a mortuary. It now contains restaurants and offices. (2008)
Shiga's Import Shop, one of the Ave's longest-lived retail stores. Andy Shiga was, for decades, a leader of the neighborhood's retail community. (2008)
Ye College Inn (2007)