Hey friends,
Ever drive by this building and wonder what's inside?
Tomorrow (Sunday, Nov 15), I’m bringing back left:behind, an audio walking tour of Inscape, the former INS building at 815 Seattle Blvd S, on the edge of the International District. I made this in 2013 and haven't had a chance to present it since.
The building opened in 1931 as the “Ellis Island of Seattle.” It’s where people were processed, held, interrogated, and sometimes deported and also where thousands of people became US citizens. It closed in 2004, and artists have worked there since 2010. The tour blends music, oral histories (with help from the Wing Luke Museum), and magical realism. You walk the actual halls while you listen.
Very few people ever took this tour, and the Inscape artists have invited me to run it again as part of their Fall Open Studios.
Details
When: Sunday, Nov 15. Open Studios runs noon to 6 PM. I'll be there until about four but you can take it any time during the open house.
Where: Inscape Arts Building, 815 Seattle Blvd S. Free parking behind the building (enter at 6th & Seattle Blvd).
Cost: Free
Bring: Your phone and headphones or earbuds. Charge your phone first.
Meet at: The Front Lobby.
You can also wander the five floors of studios, vendors, and performances while you’re there. Here’s the 2013 write-up from the Seattle Times: https://seattleglobalist.com/2013/12/06/dark-voices-from-seattles-immigration-past/18329
More about the open house: https://friendsofinscape.org/news/inscape-arts-open-studios-fall-2026
Hope to see you there,
Morgan
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