The story of Wedgwood School at 2720 NE 85th Street shows how dramatically the population of the neighborhood increased after World War Two ended in 1945. Wedgwood teemed with young families and children during the post-war “Baby Boom” years, and the school district scrambled to build more schools for them.
The brick gatepost on NE 86th Street at the corner of 30th Ave NE marks the entrance to Balch’s Wedgwood #4 section of housing.
During the 1940s real estate developer Albert Balch completed his original group of Wedgwood houses from NE 80th to 85th Streets, 30th to 35th Avenues NE. The charming development set in curving streets, screened with tall trees, attracted young couples starting out with their first homes. The name “Wedgwood” caught on in popularity and spread to become the name for the whole neighborhood.
By 1950 Balch was looking for more land to meet the demand for more houses. He bought a former country estate on NE 85th Street at 30th Ave NE and platted it as Albert Balch’s Wedgwood #4. He had already started building houses in the plat when the school district decided it would be better-used as the site of the new Wedgwood School.
Wedgwood in Seattle History 