BELLEVUE.WIKI
06

The Directory · Culture

Culture & Civic

Museums, the light-rail line, civic halls, public art, and the infrastructure that ties it together.

34 documented in Bellevue

34 shown
  • Light rail line

    2 Line (East Link Light Rail)

    Downtown

    Sound Transit's 33-mile light rail line linking Seattle to the Eastside, with eight stations in and near Bellevue.

    Length
    33 miles
    Operator
    Sound Transit
    Bellevue stations
    6
  • Public aquatic facility

    Bellevue Aquatic Center

    Lake Hills

    City-run indoor aquatic center with a warm-water therapy pool and a lap pool, serving east Bellevue.

    Type
    Public indoor aquatic center
    Pools
    Warm Springs therapy pool & Blue Lagoon lap pool
    Operator
    City of Bellevue Parks
  • Art museum

    Bellevue Arts Museum

    3 fl

    Downtown

    Steven Holl-designed art, craft and design museum in downtown Bellevue, a landmark of the city's pedestrian corridor.

    Type
    Art, craft and design museum
    Building opened
    2001
    Architect
    Steven Holl
  • Visitor and education center

    Bellevue Botanical Garden Aaron Education Center

    Wilburton

    LEED Gold visitor and education center at Bellevue Botanical Garden, designed by Olson Kundig, opened 2014.

    Type
    Visitor / education center
    Building opened
    June 2014
    Architect
    Olson Kundig
  • Government building

    Bellevue City Hall

    9 fl

    Downtown

    Bellevue's nine-story city hall, a former telephone-company building reopened as municipal headquarters in 2006.

    Type
    City hall / government
    Building completed
    1983 (as Pacific NW Bell)
    City reopened as City Hall
    2006
  • Public college

    Bellevue College

    Eastgate

    Washington's largest community college, founded in 1966, enrolling roughly 38,000 students a year.

    Type
    Public college
    Founded
    1966 (as Bellevue Community College)
    Renamed
    2009 (Bellevue College)
  • Light rail station

    Bellevue Downtown Station

    Downtown

    The 2 Line's downtown station in a retained cut beside Bellevue City Hall, at the east end of a tunnel under the city.

    Opened
    April 27, 2024
    Line
    2 Line
    Type
    Retained cut
  • Public library

    Bellevue Library

    Downtown

    The 80,000-square-foot Bellevue Library is the largest branch in the King County Library System.

    Type
    Public library (KCLS)
    Building opened
    July 1, 1993
    Size
    approx. 80,000 sq ft
  • Bus transit center

    Bellevue Transit Center

    Downtown

    Downtown Bellevue's main bus hub on NE 6th Street, connected to the 2 Line and serving roughly 20 routes.

    Original opening
    1985
    Rebuilt
    2002
    Routes
    ~20
  • Youth performing arts theatre

    Bellevue Youth Theatre

    Crossroads

    City-run youth theatre at Crossroads, opened 2015, with an inclusive program and a flexible black-box stage.

    Type
    Youth theatre
    Building opened
    2015
    Size
    approx. 12,000 sq ft
  • Public art exhibition

    Bellwether Sculpture Exhibition

    Downtown

    Bellevue's signature outdoor sculpture exhibition, with rotating installations along a walking route from City Hall to Downtown Park.

    Type
    Outdoor sculpture exhibition
    Founded
    1992 (renamed Bellwether 2010)
    Works
    30+ sculptures
  • Light rail station

    BelRed/130th Station

    Bel-Red

    At-grade 2 Line station in the median of NE Spring Boulevard serving Bellevue's redeveloping Bel-Red corridor.

    Opened
    April 27, 2024
    Line
    2 Line
    Type
    At-grade median
  • Community center

    Crossroads Community Center

    Crossroads

    City community center in 34-acre Crossroads Park serving one of Bellevue's most culturally diverse neighborhoods.

    Type
    Community center
    Park size
    approx. 34 acres
    Operator
    City of Bellevue Parks
  • Light rail station

    East Main Station

    Downtown

    Surface-level 2 Line station at the southern edge of downtown Bellevue, near the Surrey Downs neighborhood.

    Opened
    April 27, 2024
    Line
    2 Line
    Type
    Surface / at-grade
  • Regional multi-use trail

    Eastrail

    Wilburton

    A planned 42-mile regional rail-trail along the former Eastside Rail Corridor connecting Bellevue with five other Eastside cities.

    Length
    ~42 miles
    Lead
    King County Parks
    Connects
    Bellevue, Renton, Kirkland, Woodinville, Snohomish, Redmond
  • Local history organization

    Eastside Heritage Center

    Old Bellevue

    Nonprofit preserving Eastside history, with 30,000+ artifacts, formed from two earlier historical societies in 2001.

    Type
    Local history nonprofit
    Formed
    2001 (merger of two societies)
    Predecessors
    Bellevue Historical Society (1986), Marymoor Museum (1965)
  • Floating bridge

    Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (SR 520)

    Downtown

    The world's longest floating bridge, carrying SR 520 across Lake Washington between Seattle and the Bellevue/Eastside shore.

    Floating span
    7,710 ft
    Width
    ~116 ft (widest)
    Opened
    April 2016
  • Historic house museum

    Frederick W. Winters House

    Old Bellevue

    Bellevue's only building on the National Register of Historic Places, a 1929 Spanish Eclectic mansion.

    Type
    Historic house museum
    Built
    1929
    Style
    Spanish Eclectic
  • Pedestrian bridge / corridor

    Grand Connection Crossing

    Downtown

    A planned pedestrian and bike bridge over I-405 linking downtown Bellevue's City Hall plaza to Eastrail in Wilburton.

    Crosses
    Interstate 405
    Width
    ~30-40 ft
    Estimated cost
    $175-230 million
  • Community center

    Highland Community Center

    Lake Hills

    Inclusive 7,000-square-foot Bellevue community center serving people with intellectual and physical disabilities.

    Type
    Inclusive community center
    Size
    approx. 7,000 sq ft
    Focus
    Adults with disabilities
  • Interstate freeway

    Interstate 405

    Wilburton

    The 30-mile Eastside freeway bypassing Seattle, running through the center of Bellevue and intersecting I-90 and SR 520.

    Length
    30 miles
    Bellevue-Kirkland segment opened
    1956
    Full route completed
    1965
  • Children's museum

    KidsQuest Children's Museum

    Downtown

    Hands-on STEAM-focused children's museum in downtown Bellevue with more than 25 interactive exhibits.

    Type
    Children's museum
    First opened
    December 11, 2005 (Factoria)
    Downtown location since
    2017
  • Public library

    Lake Hills Library

    Lake Hills

    A King County Library System branch serving Bellevue's Lake Hills neighborhood within the Lake Hills Village mixed-use center.

    Type
    Public library branch
    System
    King County Library System
    Setting
    Lake Hills Village
  • Convention and performing arts center

    Meydenbauer Center

    Downtown

    Bellevue's city-operated convention center, opened in 1993, with exhibition halls and a 410-seat theatre.

    Type
    Convention center & theatre
    Opened
    1993
    Theatre
    410-seat performing arts theatre
  • Community / senior center

    North Bellevue Community Center

    Bridle Trails

    Bellevue's community center and aging-services hub offering senior wellness, arts and social programs on the city's north side.

    Type
    Community / senior center
    Focus
    Aging and older-adult services
    Programs
    Wellness, arts, dining, trips
  • Arts and recreation center

    Northwest Arts Center

    Downtown

    City-run arts and recreation center off Bellevue Way offering year-round classes in art, dance, music and fitness.

    Type
    Arts & recreation center
    Programs
    Art, dance, music, pottery, fitness
    Operator
    City of Bellevue Parks
  • Public art installation

    Piloti

    Downtown

    A permanent perforated-canopy sculpture by Marc Fornes/THEVERYMANY marking the Bellevue Way entrance to Downtown Park, opened in 2023.

    Type
    Permanent public art canopy
    Artist
    Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY
    Opened
    May 2023
  • Former museum

    Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art

    Downtown

    Award-winning Bellevue doll museum open 1992-2012, once named the world's best private doll museum.

    Type
    Former doll museum
    Opened
    1992
    Closed
    March 1, 2012
  • Community center

    South Bellevue Community Center

    Eastgate

    A 32,000-square-foot community recreation center in Eastgate Park with twin gyms, a fitness center and an indoor climbing wall.

    Type
    Community recreation center
    Size
    32,000 sq ft
    Features
    Two gyms, fitness center, climbing wall
  • Light rail station

    South Bellevue Station

    South Bellevue

    Elevated 2 Line station on Bellevue Way with the Eastside's largest park-and-ride garage at 1,500 stalls.

    Opened
    April 27, 2024
    Parking
    1,500 stalls
    Line
    2 Line
  • Light rail station

    Spring District/120th Station

    Bel-Red

    2 Line station in a retained-cut trench at the heart of the Spring District transit-oriented neighborhood.

    Opened
    April 27, 2024
    Line
    2 Line
    Type
    Retained-cut trench
  • Proposed performing arts center

    Tateuchi Center

    Downtown

    Long-planned downtown Bellevue performing arts center envisioned with a roughly 2,000-seat concert hall.

    Type
    Performing arts center (planned)
    Concert hall
    approx. 2,000 seats (planned)
    Site donated
    2002 (by Kemper Freeman)
  • Light rail station

    Wilburton Station

    Wilburton

    Elevated 2 Line station on a viaduct over I-405 and the Eastrail corridor in the Wilburton area.

    Opened
    April 27, 2024
    Line
    2 Line
    Type
    Elevated viaduct
  • Historic rail trestle / trail

    Wilburton Trestle

    Wilburton

    A 975-foot, 102-foot-high 1904 wooden railroad trestle, the longest in the Pacific Northwest, being converted to an Eastrail bridge.

    Built
    1904
    Length
    975 ft
    Height
    102 ft