Tag Archives: Seattle

Earl G. Park, Architect in Wedgwood

On the census of the year 1900 in Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois, seventeen-year-old Earl G. Park listed his occupation as “architect.”   Two years later, Earl Park was in Seattle in the employ of a busy and successful architectural firm, Bebb … Continue reading

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John R. Nevins, architect in Wedgwood

John R. Nevins was an architect and civil engineer who worked in Seattle from 1902 to 1932.   With business partner Earl G. Park, he platted the Nevins & Park Addition in Wedgwood, and Nevins lived on that block from 1916 to … Continue reading

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The Nevins and Park Plat in Wedgwood

The Nevins & Park plat in Wedgwood is five acres of land, one long block from NE 82nd to 85th Streets, 28th to 30th Avenues NE.     To file a “plat” means to register the land with King County … Continue reading

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The Picardo Farm in Wedgwood

The Wedgwood neighborhood did not come completely into the Seattle city limits until 1954.  The area retained some of its semi-rural character into the 1960s, such as the Picardo Farm which operated at 8040 25th Ave NE. The Picardo family’s long … Continue reading

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A Farm Life in Wedgwood

Wedgwood didn’t acquire its identity until the 1940s when developer Albert Balch’s name for his housing development caught on as the name for the whole neighborhood.   In the early 1900s when the future Wedgwood area was still outside the Seattle city … Continue reading

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The Ginseng Farm in Wedgwood

On the census of the year 1900 in Seattle Mr. Charles E. Thorpe was listed as a lodger in a private home on Denny Way near present-day Seattle Center.   By 1905 Mr. Thorpe had become one of the earliest residents of the future Wedgwood … Continue reading

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Groceries and Growth in Wedgwood

Grocery stores in Wedgwood expanded with the growth of the neighborhood in the post-World-War-Two period of the 1940s and 1950s. Beginning with the economic downturn called the Boeing Bust in the 1970s, grocery stores and some other kinds of stores declined … Continue reading

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McGillivray’s: the Biggest Little Store in Wedgwood

In the 1940s Arthur & Dorothy McGillivray decided to move from Minnesota to Seattle along with their daughter, Bette, while Bette attended the University of Washington.   With past experience in merchandising, the McGillivrays were ready to try their hand at … Continue reading

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The Mary J. Chandler plat in Wedgwood

Mary J. Chandler’s Addition to Seattle is the name of a plat in Wedgwood.    The plat was filed in 1890 for land from 25th to 45th Avenues NE, NE 80th to 85th Streets.  To file a plat means to have … Continue reading

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The Gateposts of Wedgwood

When Albert Balch, the developer of the Wedgwood neighborhood, put up stone gateposts at the entrance to his new housing area, he tapped into the gateposts’ symbolism of permanence and protection, qualities desired by young couples in search of homes.

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