This 4,660-square-foot center is a central gathering place for Eritrean communities. At the time of its opening in 2003, more than 4,000 Eritreans lived in the greater Seattle area, with 300 families belonging to its parent organization, the Eritrean Association of Greater Seattle. When these families arrived in the early 1980s after fleeing decades of guerilla war in their homeland, many found a new place to start in the Rainier Valley area.