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 built in 1931 was listed as the residence for Myron P. (Percy) Foote and his wife Irene in 1932. They may have been renting because on 4.30.33 The Seattle Daily Times records several real estate transactions including this residence “Sold for A. G. Moffat to Kathryn Turner through William D. Burkheimer.”
Kathyrn Turner was married to James A. Turner, a Seattle resident since 1906. He worked for the trolley company operating out of the Fremont barn, often on the Ballard-Fauntleroy route. His obituary listed him as an amateur photographer and a book on railroad history released in 1983 credits many of the photographs to his collection, railroads being his subject. Kathryn Turner is listed as a nurse and gave birth to a son James A. Turner Jr. around the time of the house purchase. They had been living on N. 82nd along with her parents Robert & Mary Raymond. As of 1940 her parents seem to be living elsewhere.
In 1951 James A. Turner died at the age of 63 leaving wife Kathryn, son James Jr. and two married daughters and three grandchildren. Mrs. Kathryn Turner is often listed for her involvement in travelogs and as worthy high priestess in the Masonic Temple. In 1957 the Seattle Daily Times mentions that her mother Mary Brewster Raymond celebrated her 90th birthday at her daughter’s home. In 1964 James A. Turner Jr. are noted to be setting off on globe-circling travel.
Evidently the home stayed within the Raymond-Turner families until its sale in 1990 to Dennis E. Meyer, current owner, ending 57 years in the Raymond/Turner family.
