The Sarah Queen Project: Honoring Legacy, Building Forward: Demolition of Mount Calvary Christian Center
A Bittersweet Beginning
The demolition of Mount Calvary Christian Center marked a turning point for the Central District of Seattle. For decades, the church stood as a place of worship, gathering, and cultural identity. Its removal has stirred strong emotions—grief for what has been lost, but also hope for what can be reclaimed.
We acknowledge both. Change is never easy, especially when it touches sacred spaces. But as developer Jaebadiah Gardner, founder of GardnerGlobal, shared: “It’s bittersweet. But it’s a new day.”
From Sacred Ground to Shared Future
The Sarah Queen Project is named in honor of Jaebadiah’s grandmother, Sarah Queen Gardner, a woman who embodied resilience and vision. This new Seattle affordable housing development seeks to carry her spirit forward with an ecosystem designed to house, uplift, and inspire.
117 total apartment homes
30% dedicated to affordable units (studios and one-bedrooms)
Street-level retail & live-work spaces designed to support local business
Black-owned contractors and businesses prioritized in development and operations
This is not just about buildings. It’s about restoration and innovation—out with the old, yes, but also in with the new. It’s about transforming a site with no housing into a home for more than one hundred families.
Listening to the Community
The conversations happening online and in living rooms across the Seattle Central District are not lost on us. We hear the grief: “The sight of seeing another piece of blackness bulldozed is a grief.” We hear the skepticism: “Sometimes it’s just gentrification with a Black face.”
We also hear the pride: “Hallelujah to dat.” “Congrats to Gardner and the team.” “Good to see Black women encouraging and affirming this leadership.”
All of it matters.
But here is the truth: this project is not built on public money. It is a private investment led by GardnerGlobal, a Black-owned developer in Seattle, for a Black American family legacy that chooses to include affordable housing, chooses to reinvest in Seattle’s urban core that many thought was already gone, and chooses to uplift Black businesses in the process.
As Jaebadiah puts it: “Accountability is welcome. But let’s be clear—this is ownership. This is enterprise. This is family legacy. And this is Black wealth evolving.”
Onward and Upward
The Sarah Queen Project is not the end of a story. It is a continuation of one. The Central District of Seattle has long been defined by resilience, creativity, and innovation. We intend for this development to embody all three.
Black culture isn’t static. It evolves.
It grows. It moves forward. From no housing on this land, we now move toward 117 homes. From loss, we move toward opportunity. From demolition, we move toward restoration.
This is the motion onward and upward.
Stay Connected
We invite you to stay engaged, follow the process through design review, and hold us to our commitments. The Sarah Queen Project by GardnerGlobal is not just about building up walls—it’s about building pathways, opportunities, and legacy.
Onward. Upward. Together.
Community FAQ: The Sarah Queen Project
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The Sarah Queen Project is a mixed-use development in Seattle’s Central District, led by GardnerGlobal. It will include 117 apartment homes, with 30% dedicated to affordable units, as well as ground-level retail and live-work spaces.
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Jaebadiah Gardner is the founder of GardnerGlobal, a Black-owned real estate development and investment firm. A Seattle native, Gardner named the project after his grandmother, Sarah Queen Gardner, to honor her legacy of resilience, entrepreneurship, and community leadership.
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The property was sold in 2019 after decades of service to the community. While its demolition is bittersweet for many, the site is now being repurposed to create housing and community space, expanding opportunity while honoring its history.
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Approximately 30% of the apartments (primarily studios and one-bedrooms) will be priced as affordable housing. An additional affordable housing development is also planned across the street, increasing access for Central District residents.
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Prioritizes Black-owned contractors and businesses in construction and operations
Creates new housing opportunities in a historically Black neighborhood
Provides live-work and retail spaces to support local entrepreneurship
Represents an act of reclamation and reinvestment by a Black developer in the Central District
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No. The project is a private investment by GardnerGlobal, supported by partnerships and grants, including a $4.5 million grant from Amazon. The decision to include affordable housing and community-focused features was a choice by the developer, not a public mandate.
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Construction is expected to finish by late 2027, pending design review and permitting.
Have more questions? Stay connected with GardnerGlobal for updates on design review meetings, construction timelines, and community engagement opportunities.