Hiram M. Chittenden: A critical look at the man who built the Ballard Locks

Posted on by Michael Herschensohn
Montlake Cut Opening Day, July 4, 1917 (courtesy of MOHAI)

July 4, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal and the Ballard Locks.

Feliks Banel, an intrepid marketeer of local history, produced a program that aired today June 28 on KIRO radio about Hiram M. Chittenden, the engineer who designed the entire system from Renton to Salmon Bay and re-plumbed King County waterways. Banel raises interesting points about local history and how we go about interpreting it, especially when we discover unsavory aspects.

 

 

The Fremont Bridge in 1936. It turns 100 on July 4.

Here’s the link to the broadcast:

Centennial reveals complicated legacy of Ballard locks’ namesake

Gargoyles Saved at Mercer Arena

Posted on by Michael Herschensohn

Check this out. Historian Feliks Banel saved two of the four surviving gargoyles hidden since the 1962 World’s Fair until this week’s demolition uncovered them. http://www.king5.com/mb/news/local/seattle/demolition-unearths-gargoyles-historic-architecture-at-seattle-center/426646185

Queen Anne Club – 1530 Queen Anne Ave N

Posted on by Michael Herschensohn
Queen Anne Club, 1927
Queen Anne Club, 1927 (Queen Anne News Clipping, QAHS)

The Queen Anne Club located on the southeast corner of Queen Anne Avenue and Garfield (1530 Queen Anne Ave. N.) is among few neighborhood buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It has been listed since 1983 and remains architecturally and historically an exceptional Queen Anne building. Better than just about any other building on the hill, it hides its original purpose behind a neo-classical façade and a clever adaptation to a steep hillside site. …Continue reading “Queen Anne Club – 1530 Queen Anne Ave N” →