Fremont, Seattle

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Fremont
Seattle - Fremont Cut from Eliza Ferry Leary House 01.jpg
The Fremont Cut of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, seen from the grounds of the St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral complex, across Lake Union
Seattle Map - Fremont.png
Fremont's location in Seattle
Coordinates: 47°39′02″N122°21′00″W / 47.6505°N 122.3499°W / 47.6505; -122.3499
Country United States
State Washington
City Seattle
City Council District 6
Neighborhood CouncilLake Union District
Police District North Precinct, B2
Legislative District43rd
Established [1] May 8, 1888 (first plat) [2]
Annexed to Seattle on May 3, 1891
Founded byEdward and Carrie Blewett [2]
Named for Fremont, Nebraska
Area
[3]
  Total0.89 sq mi (2.3 km2)
Population
[3]
  Total11,345
  Density13,000/sq mi (4,900/km2)
ZIP Code
98103, 98107

Fremont is a neighborhood in the North Central District of Seattle, Washington, United States. Originally a separate city, it was annexed to Seattle in 1891. It is named after Fremont, Nebraska, the hometown of two of its founders: Luther H. Griffith and Edward Blewett. [4]

Contents

Geography

Fremont is situated along the Fremont Cut of the Lake Washington Ship Canal to the north of Queen Anne, the east of Ballard, the south of Phinney Ridge, and the southwest of Wallingford. Its boundaries are not formally fixed, but they can be thought of as consisting of the Ship Canal to the south, Stone Way N. to the east, N. 50th Street to the north, and 8th Avenue N.W. to the west.

The neighborhood's main thoroughfares are Fremont and Aurora Avenues N. (north- and southbound) and N. 46th, 45th, 36th, and 34th Streets (east- and westbound). The Aurora Bridge (George Washington Memorial Bridge) carries Aurora Avenue (State Route 99) over the Ship Canal to the top of Queen Anne Hill, and the Fremont Bridge carries Fremont Avenue over the canal to the hill's base. A major shopping district is centered on Fremont Avenue N. just north of the bridge.

Counterculture

The Fremont Troll FremontTroll.jpg
The Fremont Troll

Fremont is sometimes referred to as "The People's Republic of Fremont" [5] or "The Artists' Republic of Fremont," [6] [7] and was at one time a center of counterculture; however, the neighborhood has become somewhat gentrified since the 1990s. [8] [9] It remains home to a controversial statue of Vladimir Lenin salvaged from Slovakia by an art lover from Washington state who was teaching in the area at the time. After the 1989 fall of the Communist government, he brought the statue to Fremont with money raised through a mortgage on his house. [7] The Fremont Troll is an 18-foot-tall (5 m) concrete sculpture of a troll crushing a Volkswagen Beetle in its left hand, created in 1990 and situated under the north end of the Aurora Bridge. [10] The street running under the bridge and ending at the Troll was renamed Troll Avenue N. in 2005. [11]

The neighborhood also features various signs giving advice such as "set your watch back five minutes," "set your watch forward five minutes," and "throw your watch away." [12] Other landmarks include the Fremont Rocket, a Fairchild C-119 tail boom modified to resemble a missile, [13] and the outdoor sculpture Waiting for the Interurban . [14]

Since the early 1970s some Fremont residents have been referring to their neighborhood as "The Center of the Universe" [15] (which also appears on a large "Welcome" sign). [16] An unofficial motto "De Libertas Quirkas" ("Freedom to be Peculiar" in mock Latin) appears in brochures and websites about the area. [13]

Events and institutions

The Fremont Arts Council sponsors several highly attended annual events in Fremont. The Summer Solstice Parade & Pageant has made Fremont famous for its nude Solstice Cyclists. Another event is Troll-a-ween.

Also important to Fremont is the large block on Linden Avenue N. that contains the B.F. Day Elementary School and B.F. Day Playground, two separate entities. B.F. Day is the longest continually operating school in the Seattle school district, having been founded in 1892. [17]

Another longstanding institution is the Fremont branch of the Seattle Public Library. An informal library predated the 1891 annexation of Fremont to Seattle, and annexation made it the city's first branch library. [18] The present structure dates from 1921.

Besides the B.F. Day playfield, Fremont has three small public parks, Fremont Peak Park just south of N. 45th Street, Ross Park and Playground at 3rd Avenue NW and NW 43rd Street, and A.B. Ernst Park next to the library. Ernst Park was named for Ambrose Ernst, a Fremont resident. He was known as the "Father of City Playfields". He served on the Board of Park Commissioners from 1906 to 1913 and helped implement Seattle's Olmsted parks plan. [19]

The Burke–Gilman Trail passes through Fremont just north of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. The large Gas Works Park is just east of Fremont on the north shore of Lake Union.

Companies and organizations

Theo Chocolate's factory and store, golf and daywear label Cutter & Buck's corporate headquarters, and Brooks Sports' headquarters are located here. Fremont has several breweries including Hale's Ales brewery and Fremont Brewing. The original Redhook breweries were located in Fremont until their closures in 1988 and 2002, respectively. Google opened offices here in 2006, and the parent company of Geocaching.com is headquartered in Fremont.

A growing number of technology companies have offices in Fremont, including Adobe Systems, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, SDL PLC, Groundspeak, Impinj, Sporcle, and Tableau Software. Most of these offices are along the Lake Washington Ship Canal.

The neighborhood is home to a number of nonprofit organizations, including Literacy Source and Provail, a provider of social services to people with disabilities and an affiliate of the United Cerebral Palsy network.

A wedge-shaped building on Leary Way, a diagonal street cutting across Fremont from the adjacent Ballard neighborhood, once housed the legendary Seattle producer Jack Endino's Reciprocal Recording studio, where he recorded (among many other records) Nirvana's first demos and the band's debut on Sub Pop records, Bleach .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Washington Ship Canal</span> Waterway in Seattle, Washington, United States

The Lake Washington Ship Canal, which runs through the city of Seattle, connects the fresh water body of Lake Washington with the salt water inland sea of Puget Sound. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks accommodate the approximately 20-foot (6.1 m) difference in water level between Lake Washington and the sound. The canal runs east–west and connects Union Bay, the Montlake Cut, Portage Bay, Lake Union, the Fremont Cut, Salmon Bay, and Shilshole Bay, which is part of the sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Union</span> Lake in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Lake Union is a freshwater lake located entirely within the city limits of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is a major part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which carries fresh water from the much larger Lake Washington on the east to Puget Sound on the west. The easternmost point of the lake is the Ship Canal Bridge, which carries Interstate 5 over the eastern arm of the lake and separates Lake Union from Portage Bay. Lake Union is the namesake of the neighborhoods located on three of its shores: Eastlake, Westlake and South Lake Union. Notable destinations on the lake include Lake Union Park, the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI), and the Center for Wooden Boats on the southern shore and Gas Works Park on the northern shore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fremont Cut</span> Canal in Seattle, Washington

The Fremont Cut is a canal in Seattle, Washington, United States, that connects Lake Union to the east with Salmon Bay to the west. It is part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal linking Lake Washington to Puget Sound, and is 5,800 feet (1,800 m) long and 270 feet (82 m) wide. The center channel is 100 feet (30 m) wide and 30 feet (9.1 m) deep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballard, Seattle</span> Seattle Neighborhood in Washington, United States

Ballard is a neighborhood in the northwestern area of Seattle, Washington, United States. Formerly an independent city, the City of Seattle's official boundaries define it as bounded to the north by Crown Hill, to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont, to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal, and to the west by Puget Sound's Shilshole Bay. Other neighborhood or district boundaries existed in the past; these are recognized by various Seattle City Departments, commercial or social organizations, and other Federal, State, and local government agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Lake, Seattle</span> Seattle Neighborhood in Washington, United States

Green Lake is a neighborhood in north central Seattle, Washington. Its centerpiece is the lake and park after which it is named.

<i>Fremont Troll</i> Public sculpture In Seattle, Washington, U.S.

The Fremont Troll is a public sculpture in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 99</span> Highway in the Seattle metropolitan area, Washington, U.S.

State Route 99 (SR 99), also known as the Pacific Highway, is a state highway in the Seattle metropolitan area, part of the U.S. state of Washington. It runs 49 miles (79 km) from Fife to Everett, passing through the cities of Federal Way, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, and Lynnwood. The route primarily follows arterial streets, including Aurora Avenue, and has several freeway segments, including the tolled SR 99 Tunnel in Downtown Seattle. SR 99 was officially named the William P. Stewart Memorial Highway by the state legislature in 2016, after a campaign to replace an unofficial moniker honoring Confederate president Jefferson Davis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallingford, Seattle</span> Neighborhood of Seattle, Washington

Wallingford is a neighborhood in north central Seattle, lying on a hill above the north shore of Lake Union about four miles from the downtown core. The neighborhood developed quickly during the early 20th century after the establishment of the University of Washington to the east. With trolley tracks laid through the neighborhood as early as 1907, Wallingford is a classic streetcar suburb, typified by its many 1920s era box houses and bungalows. Commercial development is primarily concentrated along North 45th Street where a number of iconic structures stand including the neon "WALLINGFORD" sign, the Wallingford Center, and the original Dick's Drive-In. With its central location, numerous public amenities, including the world-renowned Gas Works Park, and views of both the Olympic and Cascade mountains, Wallingford has long been home to many middle and upper-class families. While Wallingford is mostly residential in nature, the neighborhood's southern edge, along Lake Union, has historically been an industrial and commercial business strip. In recent years, numerous office buildings have been developed as an extension of the burgeoning business center in neighboring Fremont. In 2014 Brooks Sports moved its headquarters from Bothell to a new six-story office building at the southwestern edge of Wallingford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Anne, Seattle</span> Seattle Neighborhood

Queen Anne is a neighborhood and geographic feature in Seattle, Washington, United States, located northwest of downtown. Queen Anne covers an area of 7.3 square kilometers (2.8 sq mi), and has a population of about 28,000. It is bordered by Belltown to the south, Lake Union to the east, the Lake Washington Ship Canal to the north and Interbay to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interbay, Seattle</span> Seattle Neighborhood

Interbay is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington consisting of the valley between Queen Anne Hill on the east and Magnolia on the west, plus filled-in areas of Smith Cove and Salmon Bay. The neighborhood is bounded on the north by Salmon Bay, part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, across which is Ballard; on the south by what remains of Smith Cove, an inlet of Elliott Bay; on the east by 15th Avenue W. and Elliott Avenue W.; and on the west by the BNSF Railway. The Ballard Bridge crosses the ship canal from Interbay to Ballard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fremont Bridge (Seattle)</span> Drawbridge in Seattle, Washington, United States

The Fremont Bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge that spans the Fremont Cut in Seattle, Washington. The bridge, which connects Fremont Avenue North and 4th Avenue North, connects the neighborhoods of Fremont and Queen Anne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aurora Bridge</span> Highway bridge crossing the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle, Washington

The Aurora Bridge is a cantilever and truss bridge in Seattle, Washington, United States. It carries State Route 99 over the west end of Seattle's Lake Union and connects Queen Anne and Fremont. The bridge is located just east of the Fremont Cut, which itself is spanned by the Fremont Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phinney Ridge, Seattle</span> Seattle Neighborhood in King, Washington, United States

Phinney Ridge is a neighborhood in north central Seattle, Washington, United States. It is named after the ridge which runs north and south, separating Ballard from Green Lake, from approximately N. 45th to N. 80th Street. The ridge, in turn, is named after Guy C. Phinney, lumber mill owner and real estate developer, whose estate was bought by the city and turned into Woodland Park in 1899. Phinney's estate had included a private menagerie, and the western half of the park became what is now the Woodland Park Zoo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenwood, Seattle</span> Seattle Neighborhood in King, Washington, United States

Greenwood is a neighborhood in north central Seattle, Washington, United States. The intersection of Greenwood Avenue North and North 85th Street is the commercial center. Greenwood is known for its numerous bars, restaurants, coffee houses, theatres and specialty stores. Greenwood's main thoroughfares are Greenwood Avenue North and North 80th and 85th streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Lake Union, Seattle</span> Neighborhood of Seattle

South Lake Union is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because it is at the southern tip of Lake Union.

The Fremont Arts Council (FAC) is a community-run organization that supports arts and artists. The Council resides in the Fremont, Seattle, Washington, but its members are from throughout the city.

Founded in 1998, the History House of Greater Seattle is a historical museum dedicated to the history and heritage of Seattle and its neighborhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westlake Avenue</span>

Westlake Avenue is a major street in Seattle, Washington, connecting Downtown Seattle to the neighborhoods of South Lake Union, Westlake and northeastern Queen Anne. The street runs north–south along the west side of Lake Union for 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from McGraw Square to the Fremont Bridge.

References

  1. "Seattle Annexation Map". Archived from the original on 2015-11-15. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
  2. 1 2 "The New Day School; Interesting Dedicatory Exercises at Fremont". The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Library of Congress. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. 5 May 1892. p. 5. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Based on King County Census Tracts 48 and 49" (PDF).
  4. Helen Divjak, Seattle's Fremont, Arcadia Publishing (2006, Images of America series), ISBN   978-0-7385-3119-9. p. 9.
  5. Fremont Real Estate Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine , seattlewashingtonrealestate.com. Accessed online 2009-08-01.
  6. Dylan Lee Lehrke Interactive Fremont Archived 2012-07-10 at archive.today , The Daily of the University of Washington , September 18, 2003. Accessed online 2009-08-01.
  7. 1 2 "Lenin Statue". Fremont, Seattle - Center of the Universe. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  8. Sanjay Bhatt, Georgetown worries it'll be the next big thing, Seattle Times, March 26, 2008. Accessed online 2009-08-01.
  9. Paul Freeman, Funky Fremont grapples with growth, gentrification, Puget Sound Business Journal, December 10, 1999. Accessed online 2009-08-01.
  10. "The Fremont Troll, Seattle, Washington". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  11. "Seattle City Council names street for Fremont Troll on August 1, 2005. - HistoryLink.org". www.historylink.org. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  12. "Seattle, WA - Fremont Center of the Universe Sign". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  13. 1 2 Story of the Rocket, Fremont Chamber of Commerce, retrieved 2012-10-06
  14. Waiting for the Interurban, Fremont Chamber of Commerce. Accessed online 2016-02-16.
  15. The Center of the Universe, Fremont Chamber of Commerce. Accessed online 2016-02-16.
  16. ellalliance.com Accessed online 2013-12-01.
  17. Thompson, Nile; Marr, Carolyn J. (2002). "B. F. Day Elementary School". Building for Learning: Seattle Public School Histories, 1862-2000. Seattle Public Schools. OCLC   54019052. Republished online by HistoryLink by permission of the Seattle Public School District: "Seattle Public Schools, 1862-2000: B. F. Day Elementary School", HistoryLink , Seattle: History Ink, 2013-09-06
  18. Seattle Public Library Annual Report 1915, p. 9, 29.
  19. "A. B. Ernst Park - Parks | seattle.gov". www.seattle.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-01.