By Belltown is a multi-year community inspired mural project to celebrate the past, present, and future of Belltown.

Created by artist Aaron Asis, a long-time creative collaborator and friend of Belltown, designed and installed four iconic murals in 2021, 3 more in 2022, and 3 final murals in 2023 depicting the past, present and future of our neighborhood.  Each of the 10 distinct murals features site-specific historic imagery accentuated by statements from Belltown community members — to encourage us all to appreciate our past and to work towards a shared vision for the future.

The finished murals consist of almost 500 square feet of printed imagery, pasted on to the surfaces of historic structures throughout the neighborhood to transform the streets into a gallery of historic art. Keen observers will note references to Battery Street and the Battery Portal site as well a variety of playful nods to the current Belltown community — as well as responses to our 2021 Belltown neighborhood survey woven into the images. 

By Belltown was made possible in part with activation funding from your Metropolitan Improvement District assessment dollars — and adorned the streets of Belltown until the summer of 2024.

Additional collaborators included the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture — and with image support from the Seattle Municipal Archives, University of Washington Special Collections Library, Washington State Office of the Secretary of State Division of Archives and Records Management, and the Washington State Department of Transportation. 

The By Belltown mural project: art to regenerate a community | Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce