As I’ve noted in the blog before, I cover Queen Anne by foot (with dog in tow). It’s a lot of ground to cover, so I divvy it up into sections to make it more manageable. If you don’t live in Queen Anne Park, you may not know about it unless you’ve traversed the hill to check out the northwest corner of our neighborhood…
Queen Anne Park has wide streets that make looping curves instead of a grid, with large lots, and homes that date to the 1920s. While Queen Anne Park homes are from the same decade, there’s variation – Tudors, Spanish-style homes, and Colonial homes sit along winding streets (no grid!).
Quite a few Queen Anne Park residents take advantage of the larger lots, with lush landscaping and gardens. If you’re a gardener or fan of gardens, take note: this walking tour includes a few gardens as well.
This Saturday, you can discover Queen Anne Park and learn more about its history from the Queen Anne Historical Society. QAHS will tour the neighborhood, as well as the aforementioned select gardens, before concluding with refreshments. Plus, the tour leader is Queen Anne Park resident, Florence Helliesen, so you can get the insider scoop.
According to Helliesen:
“There is a rich history in Queen Anne Park that I’m excited to share with our community. It’s a beautiful and unique part of the hill that often goes unnoticed. Our walking tour will tell an exciting story of real estate development as the roaring ‘20s drew to a close before the Great Depression.”
The curving street structure I noted above is not coincidence – the winding roads are designed to fit into the topography of the northwest slope, and many homes have views of the mountains – either the Cascades or the Olympics (some with both), Elliott Bay, and/or the Ship Canal.
The tour will cover three streets in Queen Anne Park – W. Etruria St., 10th Ave W, and Conkling St:
Tickets for the tour are $15 for QAHS members, $25 for non-QAHS members. You can purchase tickets online via Brown Paper Tickets. The tour begins at 10am on Saturday, August 29th, starting at the dead-end of W Etruria St (where 7th Ave W would be, it’s a SPU parking lot). If you drive to the tour, park at SPU’s Ashton Hall, entering at 5th Ave W and W Dravus St. Look for a gate that leads to W Etruria St and the tour starting point.
Learn more about some of Queen Anne’s hidden – or maybe not so hidden – treasures via the Queen Anne Historical Society, and join Saturday’s walking tour!