Central District Recovery Center Secures Design Funding for a New Facility. Fundraising Now Begins for Construction Funding
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
SEATTLE, January 12, 2026—The 23rd & Cherry Fellowship Hall (the Hall) today announced an additional grant from the State of Washington to fund the design, documentation, permitting, and
contractor selection process for a new facility expected to replace the existing hall at 2701 East Cherry Street.
“We’re excited to be one step closer to making this new facility a reality for our neighbors and friends who are working to change their lives for the better,” said Hall spokesman Earl Riley “The next step is making sure it gets built.”
In 1980, a small group of people who were meeting at the Central Area Community Alcohol Treatment Center wanted to meet closer to home. Together, they rented a small storefront on the corner of 23rd and Cherry Streets and began hosting meetings themselves. The following year, the group moved the 23rd & Cherry Fellowship Hall to its current location, the old home of the infamous “Blue Bird Tavern” on the southeast corner of Cherry Street and 27th Avenue in the heart of Seattle’s Central District.
“Ironically, m
any of us had been frequenters of the Blue Bird before beginning a life of sobriety,” said Earl Riley, the former Board President of 23rd & Cherry Fellowship Hall. The original storefront at 23rd & Cherry was chosen because the Fellowship’s early members recognized there was no site in the predominately black central area of Seattle where people could recover in a clean and sober environment. Thus, the 23rd & Cherry Fellowship Hall became Seattle’s first predominately black fellowship hall.
July of 2024, the State awarded the Hall a planning grant to explore expanding its facility and services. RRA Architecture completed the study in December 2024 and found that the demolition of the existing building and the construction of a new facility was the best path forward. In July 2025 the State followed up with a design grant, which the architectural design is currently being competed by RRA Architecture.
“A new facility will expand and improve the enormous, yet important work, happening at the Hall,” said RRA Architecture Principal Jim Brown. “We’re honored to assist in reimaging how these spaces will better serve the neighborhood and community for generations to come.”
A primary goal of the proposed project is to socially engage the diverse community of those pursuing recovery throughout Seattle. The proposed building program will expand the Hall’s growing needs for both meeting space and pear related services, all to secure a financially sustainable future. The new facility is slated to include a spacious lobby, “the living room”, two 60-person meeting rooms that can be combined, commercial kitchen, café, offices, teen area, and a private outdoor terrace. The funding will allow the design and engineering to be completed so the project is “shovel ready.” The Hall now begin its next round of public and private fundraising to secure the funds for the construction and fit out.
“We’re counting on community support,” Riley concluded. “This community has never let us down.”
Attached rendering of 23 rd & Cherry Fellowship Hall design, credit RRA Architecture.
Link to additional images on RRA’s website at:
About the 23rd & Cherry Fellowship Hall
The 23rd & Cherry Fellowship Hall is one of the oldest Black-owned institutions remaining in the Central Area, providing a clean, sober, and stimulating environment for those recovering from alcohol and drug use or those interested in living or obtaining a sober lifestyle. Under the guidance of a strong Board of Directors, the Fellowship is a focal point in the continued sobriety of people of all races, creeds, and colors. The State of Washington officially deemed the Hall a nonprofit organization on August 4, 1981
Comments