Wallingford History
Click to enlarge
 |
History of Wallingford Just north of downtown Seattle is Lake Union. On the north shore of the lake is Wallingford, bounded by Fremont on the west and the University District on the east. The main entrance to Wallingford is along 45th Street. The main north-south street, Wallingford Avenue, offers a view of Lake Union. |
|
|
Only a creek separated Ballard from the main part of the city of Seattle. Ballard was a logging company town then called mdale.
In the 1880s, there were only a few houses on the north shore of Lake Union. Green Lake John had his lonely cabin on the small lake to the north, which is now called Green Lake. To get from Seattle to the settlements to the north of Lake Union, it was necessary to take a horse-drawn street car from downtown through farms and orchards to the south shore of the Lake. The fare was 5 cents. Then a small steamboat, such as the Latona, would be taken to the north end of the Lake. There were steamboat stops at Edgewater and Latona. Seattle,
Lakeshore & Eastern Railroad was built along the north shore of Lake Union in 1887. Two of its organizers were Thomas Burke and David Gilman The Lakeshore & Eastern ran from the foot of Columbia Street to Smith Cove to Fremont, along the north shore of the Lake, and then to Lake Washington. The plan was to build the line all the way to Spokane. But the final result was limited to Snoqualmie Falls, which by itself was no small feat. Each train consisted of one passenger coach, one freight car, some flatcars and logging cars.
Seattle was the first city west of the Mississippi to be graced with electric trolley service. Streetcar lines were built by real estate dealers in order to open up new land. A streetcar line was built to Fremont, which connected with the logging road that ended at Green Lake. Men interested in real estate in the Wallingford area extended the streetcar line and platted the adjacent land. They planned to pay for the line by selling real estate. C P Stone, one-time mayor of Seattle, owned and platted 160 acres on the north shore of Lake Union, some of which was in the Wallingford neighborhood.
John Wallingford was a real estate dealer who platted several areas of Wallingford, the neighborhood which now carries his name. He was a member of the City Council, and made his home on six acres of Green Lake shoreline. The Latona Bridge was built by David T Denny, for his electric streetcar line which ended at Latona.
Woodland Park
Woodland Park was originally the estate of Guy C Phinney, a wealthy Englishman who bought the land in the 1880's. Phinney had a streetcar line built to the park. The park was a quiet retreat with wooded paths and boating facilities on the lake. Because of financial difficulties, Phinney had to sell the park to the City in 1900. The City engineering department built bicycle paths in pleasant parts of the City, such as on the shores of Lake Washington and Green Lake. The area north of Lake Union was annexed to Seattle in 1891. # Fremont was a little village with a lumber milling company, a tannery, stores, a hotel and a meeting hall. # Edgewater had four big farms owned by Day, Bowman, Stone, and Ashworth. # Latona had a post office and a few stores. A streetcar passed over the bridge, through the village, and on to what is now the University District.
Good Shepard
Good Shepherd 1915 Good Shepherd 2009
The Home of the Good Shepherd also built in 1907. The Catholic Order of the Good Shepherd Sisters kept the facility for homeless and delinquent teenage girls. The Home had elegant gardens and a large orchard. To help pay for the operation of the facility, the sisters ran a commercial laundry for hotels and the railroad. To read more about the history of Good Shepherd check out historylink.org
Now known as the Good Shepherd Center, it holds a number of non-profits, schools and the Wallingford Community Senior Center.
Gasworks
In 1906, the Seattle Lighting Company built a gasworks on the north shore of Lake Union. The plant gave off smoke and soot, blackening the homes of the neighborhood. There were cracking towers, compressors, flywheels and pipes. Railroad cars came over the trestle arches for bottom-dumping of coal and coke. The mound served as a dump for various construction sites. In 1911, construction began on the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which was completed in 1917, allowing ships to pass from Puget Sound to Lake Union and Lake Washington.
Fire Station
The Wallingford fire station, subsequently used as a police station, and now housing the 45th Street Clinic, housed horse-drawn engines. What are now large windows were once big accordion doors for quick exit. Lincoln High School was the center of Wallingford community life. The 1920s were the years of the small business. Some stores were so small they could only handle one customer at a time. Others had to wait their turn on the sidewalk. The local grocery store was not much larger, and its storefront still stands today.
The corner grocery store at Wallingford Avenue and 45th St. is still a trademark of the Wallingford neighborhood. Some Wallingford businesses have become known citywide. Tweedy and Popp (yes, those really were their names) entered into partnership in 1921. Their first location was in the building now holding Starbucks Coffee. Lincoln Pharmacy began business in Wallingford in 1914, and at one time was one of the largest independent drug stores in Seattle. It is now occupied by Selena's Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant.
Larger businesses in the area have included Buchann's Bakery, the Western Cooperage, and Dunn Lumber. The Outlook started out as a shopping newspaper. Operated originally by Milton Stapp and his brother Stan, the paper has served the community for many years. It is still published as The Herald-Outlook today. A new bridge was needed to handle the increasing volume of automobile traffic.
For seven years the community campaigned for construction of a bridge from Seattle to the north end. Controversy centered around the best location. The George Washington Memorial Bridge, better known as the Aurora Bridge, was finally completed in 1932.
New uses are being found for old landmarks:
-
Along the right of way of the railroad originally built by Thomas Burke and David Gilman, we now have the Burke Gilman Trail.
-
The Home of the Good Shepherd, saved by the Wallingford Community Council from being turned into a shopping center, now is managed by Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority and holds several schools and businesses.
-
On every corner are reminders of our history: Densmore was captain of a coal barge on Lake Union.
-
Ashworth was one of the area's first farmers, and served as postmaster for a time.
-
Stone Way is named for a mayor of Seattle who platted much of Wallingford. Wallingford remains a pleasant residential community on the hill overlooking Lake Union. And history continues to be quietly made by the community's residents and businesses.