Author: Historic Wallingford

Historic Wallingford is pleased to announce its 2nd annual Exploring Wallingford self-guided activity. The public is invited to pick up a FREE brochure at one of these sponsor locations between August 1 and September 15:

Verity Credit Union – 4545 Stone Way N
Cedarhouse Flowers – 1621 N 45th St.
Yazdi – Wallingford Center 1815 N 45th St.
Slave to the Needle Tattoo – 403 NE 45th St.

The activity encourages participants to explore the neighborhood highlights in any order and at any pace. The hope is participants will take their time and experience Wallingford in new ways!

The rich, colorful brochure highlights 18 natural, historical, and artistic points of interest on Wallingford Hill between 40th and 45th streets. A QR code in the brochure links to an interactive map with more information about each feature and additional points of interest. See this link for the 2022 activity.

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Historic Wallingford is grateful to the sponsor businesses and for the continued support of 4Culture, which provides arts and culture funding throughout King County. The activity was produced by a team of volunteers, including  Tyson Baty, Lynne DeLano, Joice Denand, Sarah Martin (project manager), Dennis McCarthy, Linda Sewell (graphic designer), and Jean Werner.

A podcast of the July 26th broadcast of The Wallingford Local is now available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

This once-a-month radio show is broadcast on community radio station SPACE 101.1 FM live from the Wallingford Farmers Market. It is hosted by Wallingford’s own Feliks Banel and Laura Scott is the show’s producer.

The episode featured Ben Chandler with updates from the Seattle Farmers Market Association; Jack McLaughlin of Wallyhood.org with an update on neighborhood news and co-host of our first-ever Wallingford trivia contest; Sarah Martin announcing Historic Wallingford‘s latest Exploring Wallingford activity; Barb Burrill on the story of the Meridian Park bandstand; Danny Swanson of Swanson’s Shoe Repair; Benjamin Jaffee, owner of Marrowstone Mushrooms; and music by violinist Claire Swihart. Shout out to Brooke for winning the Wallingford trivia contest. Thanks to all for participating!

Special thanks to Joe Jeszeck who composed the show’s theme music – listen here!

Catch the next show Wednesday, August 30 at 5 PM!

Historic Wallingford and the Wallingford Community Council are co-sponsoring neighborhood cleanups to celebrate Earth Day. Join us Saturday, April 22nd from 10 AM to 1 PM. Historic Wallingford’s table will be located in front of Wallingford Center, so stop by to say hello, and ask about our upcoming volunteer opportunities!

Since February 2021, Historic Wallingford has been the target of a disinformation campaign about our neighborhood’s effort to nominate a portion of northeast Wallingford to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. 

We again wish to clarify our position and make sure you have good information in case you have questions. 

Receiving an honorary historic designation, like the National Register designation this effort is seeking, comes with no restrictions on city land use policies or on a private property owner regarding development, use, maintenance, or alterations. The Washington Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation’s website explains this. We hosted two public meetings in 2021 to discuss this and field questions.

The purpose of the effort is to document the history and architecture of Wallingford, and that includes any negative parts of that history, such as policies that were exclusionary and which continue to impact the community to this day. It includes uncovering stories of past Wallingfordians, including women, immigrants, and working-class residents. Too often they and their contributions have not traditionally been recognized. Ultimately, we hope this historic district designation results in a richer, more inclusive story of our neighborhood and an appreciation for its historic architecture. We particularly welcome any stories you can tell us that you know about Wallingford.

You can read more about the nomination effort here. And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@historicwallingford.org.

Historic Wallingford is pleased to report that the Washington Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has voted in unanimous support of the National Register nomination for the Wallingford-Meridian Streetcar Historic District. The nomination soon will be forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register for consideration. We hope to learn of a possible final designation by the end of the year or early next year.

Historic Wallingford is grateful to the many volunteers and supporters who made this nomination possible. Thank you!