A Look Back At The History of Bellevue: 1900-1980's Photo Gallery
Here are some rare and awesome photos of our lovely city. Watching our city's skyline expand so rapidly is exciting, but how we got here is just as amazing. These are just a few of the photos I found online, some dating back to the early 1900's. For your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
Bellevue 1900-1940’s
Aerial shot of Meydenbauer Bay,1948 southeast facing. The yacht tied up at the whaling dock is the 'Lenore', owned by then Medina resident Gilbert Skinner, of the family who co-owned the Skinner & Eddy Corporation ('Builders of Steel Ships')
A 1916 view of Medina
When the ferry 'Leschi" was completed, in late December, 1913, commuting from Seattle to the Eastside became much more efficient and practical. Leaving downtown at 5:45 and walking off the Medina ferry slip at 6:12. Note how the noise, questionable water and air pollution of the city were used as selling points and the "Medina district" is presented as a wholesome, bucolic refuge offering health, happiness, majestic views and low taxes.
Bellevue School interior, 1909.
The old Bellevue schoolhouse, 1909. It was built in 1892 and located at about today's Main St and 100th; it later became Bellevue's first city hall.
Meydenbauer Bay, viewed to the east, 1944.
View north up today's Bellevue Way from Main, 1928. At that time Bellevue Way was called Peach St. The route to Kirkland and communities north was through Medina via the concrete slab road. It came through Medina, around Clyde Hill, past the points, roughly parallel to today's 520, and then connected with today's Lk Wash Blvd at the Northup/Houghton area.
Hunt's Point Road, 1937.
Bellevue Garage, c.1915.
Bellevue, c.1900. Viewing north, the road would later become Bellevue Way at about where Bel Square stands today.
Bellevue Square, 1948
Intersection of Bellevue Way and NE 8th, 1937. Viewed to the southeast.
William C. Meydenbauer and his wife, Tekla Fischer Meydenbauer, built this home c. 1880 on the NE corner of 3rd and Columbia in Seattle as their primary residence.
German-born baker William C. Meydenbauer (1832-1906) brought his family to tiny Seattle in 1868, when its population numbered fewer than 1000. In 1869, Meydenbauer traveled through miles of dense forest between tiny Seattle and the shoe of Lake Washington and from there rowed a boat across the lake and staked a claim on the bay which now bears his name
Bellevue 1950’s
Safeway Distribution center under construction, viewed north, 1958.
Newport, Mercer Island, the Town of Beaux Arts Village and Seattle in the distance -- Viewed from above Somerset Hill, 1959.
Hunt's Point with Yarrow Point in the background, 1952. Hunt's point was named by Leigh S. J. Hunt who owned both points and the 'Seattle Post-Intelligencer' in the late 1880's. Hunt actually lived in a large home on Yarrow point and because the large trees on Hunt's Point blocked his view, Hunt bought it and had all the timber cut. Hunt was also the actual driving force behind Kirkland, he persuaded British steel manufacturer, Peter Kirk, to locate his envisioned steel mill and company town on Lake Washington.
Nordstrom founder John W. Nordstrom cuts the ribbon at the 1958 grand opening of the Bel-Square 'Nordstom's'. The young women are his granddaughters Susan (Nordstrom) Eberhardt and Linda (Nordstrom) Mowat.
In 1950, this sign stood in the Enatai Neighborhood, then unincorporated King County, just as one came off the East Channel Bridge from Mercer Island. The condition of the roads was a huge sore point with residents and part of the impetus behind Bellevue's 1953 incorporation. Note that a fed up neighbor posted a sign encouraging motorists to call the county at MA-5900 to complain.
Built in 1956 and seen here in 1957, this was Bellevue's 'skyline', its tallest building for a number of years!
Ground breaking for the Fredrick & Nelson store at Bellevue Square, 1955. Kemper freeman, Sr. is second from the right.
Crabapple Restaurant interior, c. 1955.
Bellevue Square madrona tree, c. 1950.
Bellevue 1960’s Postcard mailed November 1963. Caption reads: "Bellevue, Washington - One of the attractive and prosperous cities on the eastern shores of Lake Washington. Shopping Center in left distance." Aerial Color by Clifford B. Ellis
Bellevue's Main Street and Bellevue Way looking north, c. 1965.
View west, up NE 8th from the air, at about Bellevue Way, 1967. I heard there use to be rides at Bel Square.
The view from Somerset Hill, then still a work in progress, 1967.
Photographer extraordinaire @Owen Blauman found this undated archived 'Seattle Times' aerial image. It is fun to blow it up and look at all the buildings and features as they were then and the memories just come flooding back--starting with the pre-enclosed Bel-Square!
Movie Theater in Crossroads, 1968
Bellevue High School, 1960's
Bellevue Square from the air, facing east, 1960.
Bellevue Square Nordstrom store, 1969.
"Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, Seattle, Washington - Seattle's newest floating bridge crosses Lake Washington a few miles north of the first bridge and connects the Kirkland-Redmond area to metropolitan Seattle." mid 1960s
Bellevue 1980’s
"Bellevue, Washington" "Bellevue is Washington’s fourth largest city. Bellevue is on the east shore of Lake Washington, just east of Seattle, and affords residents quality schools, housing, and shopping."
Photo by Max R. Jensen
Renovations! This 1981 view shows Bel-Square transitioning from an outdoor plaza to an enclosed, indoor mall
Viewing east in 1981, the main streets and structures are labeled in this 'Seattle Times' photo.
It is really hard to find a native Eastsider who doesn't have fond memories of seeing movies here
1981 Bellevue Shopping Industry Buildings City Aerial
Bellevue March 1987 - you can see a little of Bellevue Downtown Park's construction
Bellevue, WA March 1987. Facing Meydenbauer Bay. Bellevue Place/Bellevue Hyatt under construction.
Photo courtesy Richard E. Hawes studios
Captions and photos provided by an awesome Facebook page devoted to the history of Bellevue. There are many more photos. Please like their page and check out the other albums!
Senior Product Engineer at Esri
6dVery curious on why an 800 year old sequoia is still in the city center. It is right on the corner of a street, but not removed. Street expansion or a larger building could be possible, but is not. Really feel like there is a great story behind this tree.
Truck Parts Sales at Northwest Equipment Sales
2yI never lived there, but I worked at the old B&B Auto Parts store at 10505 Main Street if I recall correctly. The Black Angus was across the street, so when the company would buy us a Christmas lunch, half of us would go and throw everything including drinks on the tab because it wasn't itemized. As little as we were paid, it seemed reasonable. At the time, I was living in the U-District, and driving across 520. One day I got to work and just missed an earthquake that had knocked the overhead lighting loose and knocked most of the tools on the display behind the counter off on the floor, along with various other items. Another time I came in and our cashier had just called into one of the local radio stations that she had witnessed a helicopter crash on the roof of Bellevue Square when it was under construction. I always liked Bellevue, my youngest son was born at Overlake Hospital, but like the rest of the area, it grew too much and too fast for an old country boy, so I moved back to Oregon and ended up where I started.
International Tax Counsel at Tully Rinckey and Zahn Law Group - New York
2yI had a birthday party there. But I think it was called "Kiddy Land," and "Lollipop Park" was just a part of it (or maybe the other way around). They had big wooden, brightly colored circus-themed animal cages with picnic tables inside. So, that's where the kids would have their birthday parties--rain or shine. There was a kiddy-size roller coaster (which was big to us at the time), cup rides, and of course, a Ferris Wheel. One of my first real jobs was selling teen clothes at F&N, which job I landed at age 15 mainly because somehow I ended up on the Frederick & Nelson (F&N) high school fashion board. My parents moved from the Midwest to Mercer Island and then Bellevue in 1957 (Dad worked as a Boeing structures engineer for 45 years). Because I think he missed bigger cities, he would take me to downtown Bellevue almost every Saturday. We often stopped into the lovely Rhododendron Room in the Bellevue F&N, where he treated me to F&N's signature ice cream: Frango Mint. I should post some of my Dad's hundreds of photos of old Bellevue, old Seattle, boating, skiing, etc. He always had a dark room in the house. Many of his photos (mostly B&W) have historical value...and some are quite stunning.