Harry W Treat House – 1 W Highland Dr

Posted on by Queen Anne Historical Society
Treat House, 1907
Treat House, 1907

Designed by Charles Bebb and Louis Mendel, the Treat House is one of Seattle’s largest and has both architectural and historic significance.  The original owner, Harry Whitney Treat, came to Seattle around 1903 arriving, it is rumored, as the richest man in town.  He was heavily involved in local business activities and real estate.  His developments in North Seattle include Loyal Heights (named for his daughter), Sunset Hill, and much of Blue Ridge.  Treat built this 64-room house as his in-city retreat, at the tremendous 1905 cost of $101,000. …Continue reading “Harry W Treat House – 1 W Highland Dr” →

The Powerful Georgetown

Posted on by Michael Herschensohn

Queen Anne Connection: The Steam Plant

In the conversations about the Counterbalance and its construction in 1902 by the Seattle Electric Railway, there is little talk about the electricity that powered the line and the company that built the facilities that generated it. While it remains somewhat speculative, there is a good chance that after 1907, when the Seattle Electric Company’s Georgetown Steam Plant finally came on line, some of the electricity powering the streetcars on the Counterbalance and the five other Queen Anne lines came in part from that pioneering steam plant. There is no doubt though that the Seattle Electric Railway and the Seattle Electric Company were both part of Boston-based Stone and Webster, a monopolistic transit engineering firm with branches nationwide. …Continue reading “The Powerful Georgetown” →

Galer Crest Apartments – 1420 – 1428 Queen Anne Ave

Posted on by Queen Anne Historical Society
Galer Crest Apartments, 1934
Galer Crest Apartments, 1934

The Galer Crest Apartments were built in 1930 by Harry B. McKnight. It is one of the largest pre-World War II apartment buildings on Queen Anne, located in a very prominent position at the crest of the Queen Anne Counterbalance. It is also one of relatively few large mixed-use buildings on Queen Anne from this period. Its presence and size makes clear the importance of this part of Queen Anne as a relatively high density urban community at the end of the 1920s. The first owner was Olaf Johnson. The building has had a service station and, later, an auto repair garage, since it was first built. Other tenants have included a barber, beauty salons, shoe repair and a lending library. …Continue reading “Galer Crest Apartments – 1420 – 1428 Queen Anne Ave” →