The Seattle Vocational Institute (SVI) building was constructed in 1966 and later renovated and expanded in 1982. Originally known as the Seattle Opportunity Industrialization Center, the SVI was born when African American community members advocated for federal money from President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society Programs to establish an institution to promote educational training and employment. The building has long been a center for vocational training, employment, and community advancement in the Central Area.
The Central District Community Preservation and Development Authority, created in 2019, gained control of the facility, naming it the McKinney Center for Community and Economic Development, with a vision to revitalize the center and maintain its ownership within the Black community.