thumb|El Centro de la Raza, 2007El Centro de la Raza in Seattle, Washington, United States, is an educational, cultural, and social service agency, centered in the Latino/Chicano community and headquartered in the former Beacon Hill Elementary School on Seattle's Beacon Hill. It was founded in 1972 and continues to serve clients in Seattle, King County and beyond. It is considered a significant part of civil rights history in the Pacific Northwest.

History

thumb|upright|Roberto Maestas, 2008

In the early 1960s thousands of Latinos in Seattle, nearly all of whom were seeking employment, found themselves lacking a traditional community center: a barrio, with a Latin American-style plaza. On October 11, 1972 the group established itself as El Centro de la Raza.

Leaders of the building takeover quickly won a pledge from Seattle Public Schools superintendent Forbes Bottomly that no effort would be made to evict them by force. The school district even arranged to open a back door for fire safety. The school had a sprinkler system, but its water long had been cut off. After three months of occupying the building and numerous rallies, petitions and letters, the Seattle City Council agreed to hear their case. At one point, pressing for an audience, supporters of the occupation had laid siege to the City Council's chambers. The people who occupied the building joked that they were simply implementing advice from Washington governor Dan Evans, "advocating use of empty schools for community needs, such as child care".

Cofounder Roberto Maestas, executive director until 2009, worked with community leaders Larry Gossett, Bob Santos, and Bernie Whitebear, also known as the Gang of Four as they established a unique ethnic alliance that lead to the founding of El Centro de la Raza.

thumb|left|El Centro (south façade) and Plaza Roberto Maestas, September 2017

More than 20 years later, Maestas would remark, "I found that the only way to get things done in this city is to do it -- and then work it out... It took five to six years for the building to become up to code. Everything had to be repaired, replaced or installed. With the help, love and dedication of the community, the organization's building was refurbished piece by piece. Money was donated. Grants were awarded. Materials were donated, as well. Laborers volunteered time. Plumbers gave services. Heating and plumbing were installed. The roof was fixed. Vinyl siding was put in place. The classrooms were spruced up."

In 2007, El Centro celebrated its 35th anniversary with a gathering of nearly 1,000 people at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle.

Affordable housing

Since 2015, El Centro de la Raza has developed several buildings with affordable housing and community services in Seattle and the surrounding region. The organization's first project, Plaza Roberto Maestas, opened in 2015 with 112 apartment rental units designated for low-income households of under $49,000 annually. The building is adjacent to the Beacon Hill light rail station and El Centro de la Raza's main offices; it also has retail space, a commissary kitchen for food trucks, and a childcare center. El Centro de la Raza opened their second project, Four Amigos in the Columbia City neighborhood, in 2025. The building has office space and 87 residential units, including three-bedroom units, designated for households with 30% to 60% of the area's median income.

The organization acquired a roller skating rink in Federal Way in 2022 as part of preparations for a new development and continues to operate the facility. The project is anticipated to cost $152million and was awarded $9.2million in funding from the Washington State Department of Commerce. A seven-story building in Beacon Hill with 70 units and retail space began construction in 2025; it was financed with a bank loan, government funding, and donations from Amazon and Microsoft.

Notes

  • Oral history interview with Roberto Maestas, 2005 — Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project