eastlake
A Brief History
Eastlake became identifiable as a neighborhood in the 1890’s.
With the opening of the University bridge in 1919, travel through
Eastlake was encouraged. Residentially, Eastlake became a streetcar neighborhood of small apartments. Along the Lake, industrial uses grew up. Boeing’s first factory was located at the foot of Roanoke street. Boeing 1916Houseboats began to move in and factories move out in the 40’s and 50’s. In 1962 the I-5 freeway came roaring through the neighborhood, defining Eastlake’s eastern edge and changing the neighborhood forever. In the early 1970’s, Eastlake was rediscovered and residents set about conserving it and added parks, trees, and public art in the 1980’s.
Eastlake Today
Today, Eastlake is the product of its history along with hard work by its citizens to establish street end parks, the latest of which is the Fairview/Olmsted Park, to plant street trees, and bring public art to the neighborhood.Eastlake Ave. Street Car Line Near Galer, 1920’s. In 1998, the Seattle City Council adopted the Eastlake Neighborhood Plan, prepared by a committee of local residents, business, and property owners with lots of input from the neighborhood. In the future, local citizens hope the plan will guide them in their neighborhood improvements and guide the city in its decisions.
