Residential Ballard is generally described as extending from the 8th Avenue NW to the east and the bluff to the west, and from NW 85th Street on the north to NW 65th Street to the south. The area primarily contains single family houses, but also includes a collection of mutli-family dwellings, commercial buildings, schools, churches, and other buildings. Most of the historic buildings in Ballard are modest cottages and builder's houses, and were not architect-designed. Building styles include, but are not limited to, Victorian (primarily Queen Anne), vernacular, Craftsman, American Foursquare, Colonial Revival (including variations), Tudor Revival, Minimal Traditional, and Ranch. The historic building fabric of Ballard is threatened by a rapid pace of development.
The City of Ballard was incorporated in 1890. It was the first community to incorporate after Washington achieved statehood in 1889. Although population increased rapidly, north Ballard was still relatively rural. In 1907, primarily due to lack of adequate water for its population of 15,000, Ballard citizens voted to be annexed to Seattle to ensure a good water supply for the area.
After annexation Ballard’s street names were changed to conform to Seattle’s: Ship Street turned into 65th Street, Main Street became 15th Avenue. During the Great Depression and World War II, construction in Ballard nearly ground to a halt, with the exception of some houses built by Earl F. Mench. However, following World War II, fueled by the G.I. bill and the rise of the automobile, Ballard boomed again, and new housing followed. In recent years, the demand for new housing has spurred a tremendous amount of change in Ballard, with old, modest houses being replaced by large box houses and multi-family units. These changes threaten to alter the character and feeling of this historic neighborhood.
References
Ballard Historical Society Classic Home Tour guides.
Crowley, Walt. Seattle Neighborhoods: Ballard--Thumbnail History. HistoryLink File # 983, accessed 6/1/16.
King County Tax Assessor Records, 1937-2014.
McAlester, Virginia Savage.
A Field Guide to American Houses (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Alfred A Knopf Press, 2013.
Oschsner, Jeffrey Karl
Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle, WA: University of
Washington Press, 1994.
Passport to Ballard: The Centennial Story. Seattle, WA: Ballard News Tribune, 1988.
This home has only had two owners since it was built in 1947. Lloyd and Myrtle raised their family here. Although Lloyd Olason died in 1995 the house stayed in family hands through a living trust until its sale in 2004 to Margaret and Douglas Boulier.
Lloyd Olason’s family moved here in 1935 and he graduated from Ballard High School in 1938. He had an identical twin and was one of a family of five living at 3437 W. 62nd Street. He got an engineering degree from UW and worked at Boeing for 39 years, retiring in 1981. His wife was a fellow BHS grad, nee Myrtle Soderquist. They were in the home as of 1948 when son Donald, then 4, was featured in a Sunday, Seattle Times “photogravure” that also included children at Golden Gardens.
In the Seattle Times obituary of 9.12.95 Olason was recognized as Boeing engineer as well instrumental in creating the Icelandic Room at the Nordic Heritage Museum. In a 1968 piece in the Seattle Times he was quoted about his work as “Chief of Laboratory Operations of the Materials and Processes Lab” at Boeing.
Olason was a longtime member of the Calvary Lutheran Church.
