Development

Rural Communities

The civic boosterism and promotion of areas outlying Seattle during the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, Seattle’s first World’s Fair, prompted a movement of population toward neighboring, rural communities. That year, the development of an exclusive community in the north end for wealthy Seattleites inspired real estate developer Ole Hanson to create a similarly well–designed residential park.

Engineers in LFP 1910 (Image courtesy of Shoreline Historical Museum)

North Seattle Improvement Company

In December of 1909, Hanson and his nephew Alexander Reid formed the North Seattle Improvement Company in order to purchase and develop land along the shores of Lake Washington. Their civil engineer, B.E. Corlett, was instructed to plan the lots to correspond to the contours of the topography and remaining trees. Hanson took the suggestion of Lake Washington steamboat captain Edward Cox, and called the new development Lake Forest Park, derived from Cox’s beloved Lake Forest, Illinois.

According to the first promotional brochure, anyone who could buy a lot was free to build a home, as long as it wasn’t a shack, store, saloon, flat, apartment, or road-house. Both Reid and Hanson themselves lived in Lake Forest Park, with Hanson moving back to Seattle in 1917 to become Mayor of that city the following year.

Lyon Creek 1910 (Image courtesy of Shoreline Historical Museum)

Lowering of Lake Washington

In 1916, construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal lowered the level of the lake by almost nine feet. Land along the shoreline in Lake Forest Park was exposed and then subdivided into view lots.

Acacia Cemetery

Just south of Sheridan Heights on Victory Way – today’s Bothell Way - Acacia Cemetery was started by the Greater Seattle Masonic Lodge in 1926. Acacia Cemetery became part of the City of Lake Forest Park in 1997.

Sheridan Beach & Sheridan Heights

The Puget Mill Company platted Sheridan Beach in 1927, and Sheridan Heights in 1930. Despite the Stock Market Crash of 1929, a number of the concrete streets and sidewalks in these two developments were laid. However, the Great Depression caused sales and building to remain at a standstill for several years. The two developments began to slowly grow as the 1930s drew to a close, and the community increased rapidly after World War II when the population of the Northwest soared. The Sheridan area was annexed to Lake Forest Park in 1994.

Sheridan Beach 1927 (Image courtesy of Shoreline Historical Museum)