Partnership Projects
Built on a historic railroad line, Eastrail runs 42 miles on the east side of Lake Washington, from Renton to Snohomish County, creating unique opportunities for the diverse communities and businesses of the Eastside. It is more than a trail—it is a place to foster community and sustainability for our region.
One of the trail’s major overcrossings at NE 8th St in Bellevue is near the former site of Bellevue Growers Association packing and shipping warehouse. Prior to WWII, this was the only location from which Japanese American farmers could distribute their produce. The bridge design team collaborated with Isan Bellevue to memorialize the contributions of the Japanese American community in Bellevue by incorporating features of this historical site.
Emerging Radiance - emergingradiance.co
This project by artist Michelle Kumata and filmmaker Tani Ikeda honors the untold stories of Japanese American farmers who lived in Bellevue, WA from 1920 to 1942. Its hand-painted mural and Spark AR Instagram filters invite you to meet Toshio Ito, Rae Matsuoka Takekawa, and Mitsuko Hashiguchi, three survivors of World War II incarceration camps, as they share in their own words their connections to the land before the war, during incarceration, and post-World War II.
Bellevue Growers Association packing house located at 118th Ave NE & NE 10th St, ca 1933. Photo courtesy Eastside Heritage Center.
