An iconic corner stop for commuters and students alike, Café 1921 has seen it all. More than just a quick stop for regulars and first-timers, it provides services to those in the community with less. 

A visit to the Café on any morning will treat you with a glimpse of the locals. Many of the regulars work across the street at UW Tower, and taking a seat at the window booth you can watch the world go past at the intersection of 45th and Brooklyn. 

The Café also gives free food for those who need it - some familiar faces are Shakil, Stan and Jo. In fact, they throw out the trash for the Café, in return for food and coffee. 

The food at Café 1921 is killer as well, for only a dollar you can get some lovely drip. It’s not only a café, it’s also My Favorite Deli which serves, for example, four bagels and a homemade pastry for only $12, and the house made specials at the Deli are to die for. 

The coffee roast isn’t anything special, it’s the same Folgers that you probably use in the office. But that’s the beauty of Café 1921 - a visit there will remind you that simple pleasures are life’s treasures.

The best part about Café 1921 is how it’s keeping up one of the essential, often overlooked, values of The Ave. For many who may not know it, University Way is the heart of our neighborhood and is made up of places like Café 1921, mom and pop shops that really preserve the character. 

History from the Period

The Ave has certainly seen the toils and terms of time. The birth of the street car and the resulting influx of mass population to the Neighborhood brought economic success. Just check out how wonderful this bad boy was! The 1910s saw the street car bringing thousands of people to the University District, all flocking to a new hub of Northeast Seattle.

Some of the oldest businesses are still around today. The 1920s movement of neoclassical romanticism didn’t pass The Ave by, where you can see signs of that period’s flare still prevalent; like many of the romantic façade details of the buildings on The Ave. Some of the names even still remain the same, like the Masonic Building and the Gelb Building, both between 43th and 45th Streets. 

You can even still spot some of these features today, prominently displayed in the gargoyles above Ugly Mug Cafe. Take a visit to the Gargoyle’s Statuary for a better picture of the various gargoyles present around Seattle. If you want a touch of history, you can pop into one of the places that still hold the stories of the Ave. 

The oldest businesses that have still been flourishing since the 1920s include The College Inn. You can spot that history on the façades, as well as with the help of friendly yellow historical marking signs. Even check out the wonderful whimsy at La Paz Apartments. 

Each block of The Ave is almost a character in itself. 

Correction: A previous version of this article mistakenly attributed the date of origin of the Bulldog News to the 1920's. In fact, it was first opened in 1983.