Seattle's New Showrooms - Slide Show - NYTimes.com A century ago, Seattle's original Auto Row was home to chandeliered showrooms, which became all but forgotten after car dealers moved to the suburbs. By the post-World War II era, grand buildings on parallel Pike and Pine Streets stood empty. Low rents eventually attracted artists and musicians to the area, and the "90s grunge scene spawned bars and music venues. In the last decade, preservation-minded developers transformed many of those automotive buildings into offices, apartments and shops, restoring original windows, old-growth beams and wood floors. Today the Pike-Pine Corridor is the epicenter of the popular Capitol Hill neighborhood, claiming some of the best restaurants, nightclubs and vinyl record stores in the city. Pictured: Sitka & Spruce, a restaurant in a restored auto garage.