The developer of the Wedgwood neighborhood, Albert Balch, was born in Gem, Idaho, finished high school in Blaine, Washington, and graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1934 Balch was thirty years old, married and about to become a father, and his natural ambition and drive caused him to want to improve his status for himself and his family.
Entrance to the “original Wedgwood” on the west side of 35th Ave NE at NE 81st Street.
In the early 1930s Balch was working as a salesman of radio advertising for Fisher Communications. He had steady employment during the insecure times of the 1930s, yet Balch’s boldness caused him to look for more and better opportunities. Along with co-worker Ralph Jones, the two men quit their jobs at Fisher Communications because they thought they could do better in real estate. They dared to take a big risk in the face of the “down” economic times of the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Balch & Jones succeeded in developing and selling house lots in View Ridge, centered along NE 70th Street east of 35th Avenue NE. After five years’ experience Balch was ready to do even more, so in 1941 he launched out on his own to build what became the Wedgwood development. The first plat which became the original group of Wedgwood houses was on the west side of 35th Avenue NE from NE 80th to 85th Streets.
As Balch acquired more land and built more sections of Wedgwood houses, in 1949 he established an office at 8050 35th Ave NE, which remained his home base for the rest of his career. The 8050 building was Balch’s personal office and some of the “back-office” functions such as accounting. Balch acquired the brand name Crawford & Conover for the real estate sales arm of his business, and the building next door at 8044 35th Ave NE was their office. The other buildings in the row of offices were built by Balch to provide medical and dental services for the Wedgwood neighborhood.
Balch’s original office at 8050 35th Ave NE later was occupied by the Seattle Audubon Society. Photo by Valarie.
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Wedgwood in Seattle History 