One of the reasons why Fremont in Seattle was long regarded as the Center of the Universe was because of its convergence of streetcar lines.

At the north end of the Fremont Bridge, at 34th & Fremont Avenue where there is now the Waiting for the Interurban sculpture, there was a Grand Union track layout for streetcars to turn or go straight ahead, accommodating all the lines that passed through.

The Waiting for the Interurban statue at 34th & Fremont Avenue is in the place which was a transfer point to get on the Interurban Railway to Everett. Photo courtesy of the Fremont Neighbor blog, October 2025.

The streetcar system’s car barn for maintenance was located at 34th & Phinney, providing even more reason for streetcars of different routes to make their way through Fremont.  This historically landmarked building, the former car barn, has been the home of the Red Hook Brewery, then Theo Chocolate (now closed).  In 2026 the building is going to be used for retail storefronts and artist workshops.

The end of an era: Seattle’s streetcar system closed down in 1941

Sadly, the Seattle streetcar system deteriorated, and the decision was made to convert to a bus system. The last streetcar went to the Fremont Car Barn on April 13, 1941.

In 1940 a newspaper article told of the coming shut-down of the streetcar system:

“Once the pride of the Municipal Street Railway and the only one of its kind west of Chicago, the four-way streetcar switch at North 34th Street and Fremont Avenue, at the north end of the Fremont Bridge, will be removed as part of the city’s change from streetcars to buses and trackless trolleys.

Called a “Grand Union Track Layout,” it cost $48,000 to build and install in 1923, a streetcar entering from any direction may turn either way or go straight ahead. The switch was so complicated the Bethlehem Steel Works assembled it first at the steel mill to see if it would work, before sending it here.” (“Intricate Switch Becomes Passe,” The Seattle Daily Times, February 15, 1940, page 4).

For further reference: “Street Railways in Seattle,” HistoryLink Essay #2707 by Walt Crowley, 2000.

Looking southward with the Aurora Bridge in the background, we see the Grand Union track layout at the main intersection of Fremont & 34th where streetcars could turn in any direction. This photo of 1940 in the Seattle Times newspaper told of the impact of the end of the streetcar system.