Day 281: Filipino Community Center, Seattle, Washington
📌APIA Every Day (281) - The Filipino Community of Seattle (FCS) is one of the earliest Filipino associations founded in the U.S. providing support to Filipino immigrants. At the time of its incorporation in the 1930s, Seattle had a sizable Filipino population numbering around 1,600 residents. As this population grew, the FCS opened a Filipino Community Center in 1965 which has remained a central gathering place for the local Filipino community for over half a century.
The initial idea for a Filipino community association in Seattle began with a group of Filipino students at the University of Washington. In 1927, they formed a committee and began fundraising to purchase a building under the name of the Seattle Filipino Community Clubhouse. When the Philippine Commonwealth Government was established in Manila in 1935, organizers formed a more formal association called the Philippine Commonwealth Council of Seattle (PCCS). The PCCS celebrated the Commonwealth inauguration with a two-day celebration and elected Pio de Cano as their first organization president.
In 1946, as the Philippines gained independence, the PCCS was reincorporated as the Filipino Community of Seattle. In 1965, the FCS purchased an old bowling alley along MLK Jr. Way South in Rainier Valley to establish its first formal meeting space—the Filipino Community Center (FCC). Filipino architect Armando Rollolazo helped to renovate the building, which opened later that November. In the following years, the center launched various social programs that still continue today—including the Senior Lunch Program and the Youth Empowerment Program.
From 2003 to 2008, the FCC underwent major renovations to expand and update its facilities. The renovated center, completed in May 2008, included new classrooms, offices, a library, and a redesigned main hall. During this time, the FCS Board also committed to building the Filipino Community Village—an affordable housing complex for seniors and an expansion of the community center. The apartment building was completed in 2021 and successfully opened alongside the Innovation Learning Center computer lab. Currently, plans to expand the Community Village are underway.
From its early origins as a student clubhouse to a repurposed bowling alley, the Filipino Community Center has evolved into a large institution that provides senior services, youth education, and cultural engagement activities for the local community. For the 60 years since its establishment, the FCC continues to be an important social support hub for Filipinos living in Seattle.
Written by Avneet Dhaliwal
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About | Filipino Community of Seattle
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