Renaming streets of Seattle’s Fremont to the U District

Below is a lookup table for name changes from the 1870s to the present day in neighborhoods north of Lake Union in Seattle: Brooklyn (west U District); Latona; Wallingford (originally Edgewater); Fremont; part of north Queen Anne; and part of eastern Ballard.

The data north of Lake Union

Here is a link to the data as a csv, shared with creative commons license.

1893 Sanborn Street Names	2019 Street Names	Addition name	Notes
Tremont	Fifteenth Ave NE	Brooklyn Addition
Columbus	University Way NE	Brooklyn Addition
Broadway	Brooklyn Ave NE	Brooklyn Addition
Brooklyn	Twelfth Ave NE	Brooklyn Addition
Boyleston	Eleventh Ave NE	Brooklyn Addition
Summit	Roosevelt Ave NE	Brooklyn Addition
Leddy	Ninth Ave NE	Lakeview
Edwards	Eighth Ave NE	Lakeview
Cormode	Seventh Ave NE	Lakeview
Pasadena St	Pasadena Place NE	Latona 1st
Hester St	Interstate 5 (Sixth Ave NE)	Latona 1st	Sixth Ave NE until I-5 in 1960s
Kingsley	Fifth Ave NE	Harrison Heights Add
Clough	Fifth Ave NE	Latona Add
Milton	Fourth Ave NE	Harrison Heights Add
Logan	Fourth Ave NE	Latona Add
Cooper	Latona Ave NE	Harrison Heights Add
Latona	Latona Ave NE	Latona Add
Thackery	Thackeray Pl NE	Harrison Heights Add
Gladstone	Second Ave NE	Latona Add
Scott	Second Ave NE	Harrison Heights Add
Bismarck	First Ave NE	Latona Add
Dickens	First Ave NE	Harrison Heights Add
East	Eastern Ave N	Lake Union Add
Stone	Sunnyside Ave N	Lake Union Add
William	Corliss Ave N	Lake Union Add
Day	Bagley Ave N	Lake Union Add
Richard	Meridian Ave N	Lake Union Add
Park St	Meridian Ave N	Lake Union 2nd Add
Point	Burke Ave N	Lake Union Add
Sixteenth St	Burke Ave N	Lake Union 2nd Add
Elmer	Wallingford Ave N	Lake Union Add
Fifteenth St	Wallingford Ave N	Lake Union 2nd Add
Charles	Densmore Ave N	Lake Union Add
Fourteenth St	Densmore Ave N	Lake Union 2nd Add
Hanson	Woodlawn Ave N	Lake Union Add
Thirteenth St	Woodlawn Ave N	Smith & Burns Add
Edgewater	Ashworth Ave N	Edgewater Second Add
Depot	Interlake Ave N	Edgewater Second Add
Jay Street	Carr Pl N	Edgewater Addition
Vermont St	Ashworth Ave N	Edgewater Addition
Berkshire St	Interlake Ave N	Edgewater Addition
Depot St	Vacated (Interlake Ave N)	Edgewater Addition
Franklin	NE Forty-fifth St	Brooklyn Addition
Dartmouth	NE Forty-third St	Brooklyn Addition
Garfield	NE Forty-fourth St	Harrison Heights Add
Clemson	NE Forty-third St	Latona 1st Add
Grant	NE Forty-third St	Harrison Heights Add
Beacon	NE Forty-second St	Brooklyn Addition
Lincoln	NE Forty-second St	Latona Add
Mayo	NE Forty-second St	Latona 1st Add
Federal	NE Forty-first St	Brooklyn Addition
Manhattan	NE Forty-first St	Lake Union Add
Boise	NE Fortieth St	Lake Union Add
Chester	NE Fortieth St	Brooklyn Addition
Worth	N Thirty-ninth St	Lake Union Add
Lancaster St	NE Thirty-eighth St	Brooklyn Addition
Sears	N Thirty-eighth St	Lake Union Add
Umatiela	N Thirty-seventh St	Lake Union Add	Umatilla in plat; Umateila in 1893 Sanborn
George	N Thirty-sixth St	1893 Sanborn
Harrison	NE Pacific St	Latona Add
Spokane	N Northlake Way	Latona Add
Lake Ave	NE Pacific St	Latona 1st Add
Lake Ave	NE Pacific St	Lakeview
Henry	N Thirty-fifth St	Lake Union Add	became Bewett St for some time
Oliver	N Thirty-fourth St	Lake Union Add	became Ewing St for some time
Section	N Northlake Way	Lake Union Add	Was N 30th St until 1914, ord 33626
Twelfth Street	Interlake Ave N	Smith & Burns Add
Eleventh Street	Stone Way N	Smith & Burns Add
Tenth Street	Midvale Ave N	Smith & Burns Add
Ninth Street	Woodland Park Ave N	Smith & Burns Add
Pearl	Woodland Park Ave N	Day's La Grande Add
Motor Ave	Woodland Park Ave N	3rd Motor Line Add
Albion	Albion Pl N	Denny & Hoyts Add
Dion	Witman Ave N	Denny & Hoyts Add
Norwood Ave	Witman Ave N	Day's La Grande Add
Eighth St	Witman Ave N	Woodland Add to Salmon Bay City
Michigan Ave	Witman Ave N	3rd Motor Line Add
Aurora	Aurora Ave N	Denny & Hoyts Add
Grand Ave	Aurora Ave N	Day's La Grande Add
Seventh St	Aurora Ave N	Woodland Add to Salmon Bay City
Park Ave	Winslow Pl N	3rd Motor Line Add
Draco	Linden Ave N	5th Motor Line Add
Woodland Ave	Linden Ave N	Day's La Grande Add
Linden	Linden Ave N	2nd Motor Line Add
Sixth St	Linden Ave N	Woodland Add to Salmon Bay City
Lake Ave	Fremont Ave N	Day's La Grande Add
Campaign	Fremont Ave N	Motor Line Add
Fifth St	Fremont Ave N	Woodland Add to Salmon Bay City
Evanston Ave	Evanston Ave N	Denny & Hoyts Add
Plymouth Ave	Evanston Ave N	B F Day's 1st
Cleveland	Evanston Ave N	Motor Line Add
Fourth St	Evanston Ave N	Woodland Add to Salmon Bay City
Thurman	Dayton Ave N	Motor Line Add
Creon	Dayton Ave N	Denny & Hoyts Add
Dayton Ave	Dayton Ave N	B F Day's 1st
Third St	Dayton Ave N	Woodland Add to Salmon Bay City
Sunset Pl	Francis Ave N	B F Day's 1st	Was Sunset until at least 1912
Anrud	Francis Ave N	Sunset Heights Add
Campus	Francis Ave N	Denny & Hoyts Add
Nye	Phinney Ave N	B F Day's 1st
Second St	Phinney Ave N	Woodland Add to Salmon Bay City
Onsum	Phinney Ave N	Sunset Heights Add
Pallas St	Greenwood Ave N	Denny & Hoyts Add
Pandora St	Palatine Ave N	Denny & Hoyts Add
Lombard	1st Ave NW	Denny & Hoyts Add
Tiney St	2nd Ave NW	Denny & Hoyts Add
La Salle	Greenwood Ave N	Sunset Heights Add	Labelle on 1893 Sanborn
Delaware St	Greenwood Ave N	B F Day's 1st
First St	Greenwood Ave N	Woodland Add to Salmon Bay City
First Ave NW	Palatine Ave N	Ross Hill Add	Still 1st Ave NW in 1912 Baist
Navy View Pl	1st Ave NW	Ross Hill Add	Still Navy View Pl in 1912 Baist
Adams Ct	Palatine Ave N	Palatine Hill Add
Spruce	1st Ave NW	Canal Add
Clinton	2nd Ave NW	Canal Add	Was Baker Ave until at least 1912
Crawford Pl	Baker Ave NW	William Crawford Tracts (1905)
Chicago Ave	1st Ave NW	Palatine Hill Add
Bath	3rd Ave NW	Canal Add
Harmon Ct	2nd Ave NW	Palatine Hill Add
Peck Ct	Baker Ave NW	Palatine Hill Add
Section	3rd Ave NW	Denny & Hoyts Add
Crawford St	3rd Ave NW	Palatine Hill Add
Hawthorn Ave	6th Ave NW	Ross Add
Pine Grove St	N Fiftieth St	Lake Union 2nd Add
Victoria St	N Forty-ninth St	Lake Union 2nd Add
Compton St	N Forty-eighth St	Lake Union 2nd Add
Garland St	N Forty-seventh St	Lake Union 2nd Add
Woodland St	NE Forty-sixth St	Lake Union 2nd Add
Prospect St	N Forty-fifth St	Smith & Burns Add
Wyadotte	NE Forty-fifth St	Lake Union Add
Allen	N Allen Pl	2nd Motor Line
Hunt	N Allen Pl	Smith & Burns Add
Vermont	NE Allen St	3rd Motor Line Add
Mohawk	NE Forty-fourth St	Lake Union Add
Huron	NE Forty-third St	Lake Union Add
Horicom	NE Forty-second St	Lake Union Add
Morton	NE Forty-fourth St	Motor Line Add
Michigan	NW Forty-fourth St	Palatine Hill Add
Motor Place	NE Motor Pl	5th Motor Line Add
Harrison	NE Forty-third St	Motor Line Add
Howard	NE Forty-third St	3rd Motor Line Add	Harmon on Sanborn
Margin Street	N Forty-second St	Sunset Heights Add
Margin Street	NW Forty-second St	Ross Add
Chatham	N Forty-second St	Day's La Grande Add
Wabash	NW forty-third St	Palatine Hill Add
Lyndale	N Forty-second St	B F Day's 1st
First	N Forty-second St	Terrace Hill?
Hennepin Ave	N Forty-first St	B F Day's 1st
Diantha Ave	N Forty-first St	Day's La Grande Add
Albert St	NW Forty-first St	Ross Add
Ross Pl	NW Forty-first St	William Crawford Tracts (1905)	Ross Pl still in 1912 Baist
Forney	NW Forty-first St	Zwick's Add	Ross Pl in 1912 Baist
Forney	NW Bowdoin Pl	Ross Add
Clarendon	N Fortieth St	Canal Add
Henry	NW Fortiety St	Ross Add	Was Ross Place in 1912 Baist
Bowdoin	NW Bowdoin Pl	Canal Add
Bowdoin pl	N Bowdoin Pl	B F Day's 1st
Franklin	N Fortieth St	Day's La Grande Add	Became Nicolett Ave by 1893
Franklin	NW Thirty-ninth St	Ross Add
Cornell	N Thiry-ninth St	B F Day's 1st
Maple	N Thirty-ninth St	Day's La Grande Add
Fremont St	N Thirty-Eight St	Hoyt Add, Edgwater Add
Kilbourne	N Thirty-sixth St	Hoyt Add, Edgewater Add	changed after 1912
Blewett	N Thirty-fifth St	Hoyt Add, Edgewater Add	changed after 1912
Ewing	N Thirty-fourth St	Hoyt Add, Edgewater Add	changed after 1912

The reason

This is a continuation of work on the list of all structures built in Seattle in 1890. Along the way I’ve created a lookup table for the major Seattle rename in 1895; for Ballard; and for West Seattle, Georgetown, Beacon Hill and the Rainier Valley. These renaming tables are available in one package downloadable from figshare.

Like the Ballard list, this was created by hand. I was unable to find an ordinance changing the street names after the annexation of north Seattle in 1891. Instead I relied on plat maps like this one for the Lake Union Addition via the Washington State Digital Archives; the 1893 Sanborn map available through the Library of Congress; and the 1912 Baist map posted by Paul Dorpat and Ron Edge. Plus, of course, lots of coffee.

Thackeray Place

Thackeray Place should not exist in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood.

It runs north from NE 42nd St to NE 50th St, between 2nd Ave NE and Latona Ave NE. It’s a block east of Dick’s on 45th.

42nd St, 50th St, 1st Ave, and 5th Ave are the boundaries of the 1889 Harrison Heights Addition to the City of Seattle (annexed in 1891). J. A. Gould and Anna L. Gould, the owners, had the civil engineers draw a simple box around their property and didn’t bother to make their streets match those adjacent.

But when the streets were renamed and woven together in the 1890s, 1st and 2nd Avenues bent west at 42nd while Latona, 4th and 5th bent east. Space for an extra road was left in between: Thackeray Place.

The Goulds were apparently fans of literature. They riffed on Latona Addition’s Lincoln Street by naming their east-west streets after Presidents Grant and Garfield. But they gave their north-south streets names unique to their plat: Dickens, Scott, Thackery [sic], Cooper, Milton, and Kingsley.

I presume that’s Charles Dickens, Walter Scott, William Makepeace Thackeray, James Fenimore Cooper, John Milton, and Charles Kingsley.

John Milton is the only from the list that wasn’t writing in the 1800s, so I wonder if there is a lesser-known Milton from that time?

The bigger question is why Thackeray was kept. Perhaps City Engineer R. H. Thomson was a fan.

Do you have a favorite Thackeray novel? Should I start with the Book of Snobs?

Eastern Ave

Eastern Ave North is the most eastern of the “North” avenues in Seattle.

It is at an interesting nexus that has changed over time.

It was originally named East Street in the 1883 Lake Union Addition plat by Ballard, Stone, Andrews and Burnett. As you may have guessed, it was the street most east in the addition. That plat, along with Magnolia, north Queen Anne Hill, Fremont, Wallingford, Latona, Brooklyn, and Montlake were all annexed into Seattle in 1891. Sometime apparently after 1893 and before 1895 East Street was renamed Eastern Avenue.

(I see it in an 1893 Sanborn map, but it is not mentioned in the 1895 street renaming ordinance. Of course there was at least one other East Street in that ordinance, which became 20th Ave and 20th Ave S. I haven’t found another ordinance covering this area of Seattle)

The streets running perpendicular to Eastern Avenue are labeled North until one block east. Then they are labeled Northeast. The first avenue east of Eastern is First Avenue Northeast. So the streets east of First Avenue Northeast are Northeast as well. Eastern Avenue and the avenues west are North.

But until 1961, Eastern Avenue North was simply Eastern Avenue, its perpendiculars North, streets to the east were East, and avenues to the east were Northeast.

Say that ten times fast.

Related articles

For more about Fremont’s platting and street naming, see Valarie Dunn’s great article Fremont in Seattle.

By me:

• Renaming streets of Seattle in 1895
• Renaming streets of Seattle in 1906
• Streets of Green Lake
• Streets of Kirkland
• Streets of Ballard ca 1907
• Streets of Ballard named by A. B. Jennings
• Streets of Columbia City, Beacon Hill and West Seattle in 1907
• Brygger Place: Ballard Streets Revisited
• Weird Streets of UMadBro (for Capitol Hill Seattle Blog)
• 1892 problems at Harvard and Thomas (for Capitol Hill Seattle Blog)
• All structures built in Seattle area in 1890