Site Report 3
Initial development in Latona in 1897. Washington State University Early Map Viewer.
The Latona bridge in 1895. Ron Edge.
The railroad that went through Latona along 40th St. Taken May 12th 1921, Seattle Municipal Archives. Photograph Collection.
The block between 8th and 9th Ave and 40th and 42nd street was one of the first developed areas of the new Latona and Brooklyn neighborhood in the late 1800s, as a railroad was extended along 40th Ave on the south end of the block and the newly built Latona bridge spanned Lake Union from Eastlake to Latona.
Baist Real Estate map from 1908 shows moderate development on the block as nearby street cars provided easy access to the area. Paul Dorpat.
Aerial photograph from 1929 shows more development on the block. Taken 1929, Ron Edge.
The new Latona bridge was designed to include a draw bridge to accomodate boats from Portage Bay and Lake Washington. Taken 1919, Ron Edge.
By 1908, 16 single family homes had been built on the block, mainly on the north end along 42nd street. A single family home built on the east side of the block on 9th Ave in 1901 is the only one of these homes that remains. This house can vaguely be seen in an aerial photograph from 1929, but did not contain any other records. Through the year’s the block has primarily stayed a residential block, the gentle sloping elevation from north to south has made it an easily location to build upon. The new University Bridge built in 1919 also made it easily accessible by automobile, and by the late 1920s the railroad had been moved slightly further south off of 40th street, making the block quieter and more suitable for living. By 1929, looking at an aerial photograph, most of the block had been filled with single family homes as the region grew.
Seattle Times Newspaper clipping from the opening of renovated University Bridge. Written 4/8/1933, The Seattle Times.
Article in The Seattle Times regarding the renovated University Bridge being opened by the president. Written 4/8/1933, The Seattle Times.
One of the most exciting moments in the blocks history occurred on April 7th 1933 when the renovated University Bridge was opened and dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt, drawing a crowd of thousands.
The construction of the Ship Canal bridge in the early 1960s and the present day University Bridge to the left. Paul Dorpat.
Current Zoning Map. LR3 stands for Low-rise Residential Multifamily. City of Seattle SDCI GIS.
While the block has been zoned as multifamily residential, a cement utility building built in 1962, now owned by CenturyLink, dominates the northern end of the block. With the exception of the University Friends Church on the southeast end of the block and the small Peace Park greenbelt between the northern and southern 40th streets, most of the block has remained residential. Small multifamily apartment buildings started to replace single family homes in the 1970s and 1980s with some single family homes being demolished to make way for parking lots for the apartments buildings. According to the King County Parcel Viewier, since the 1980s, there has been no new development on the block, however this will soon change with the demolition of an abandoned home, built in 1911, on 8th Ave. Due to the lack of recent development that has been seen on other blocks, lots of older vegetation and large trees grow between buildings, giving it more of a residential feel.
This block has retained a similar purpose since the residential block was built, and will likely remain that way due to its location in the SW corner of the U-District. However its role remains vital, providing housing for college students studying at the University of Washington and families who work in the area.