Madison Park

The Lake Court Apartments are a short walk to the central Madison Park commercial corridor consisting of several prominent retail and dining establishments and the Junior League of Seattle. Most commercial establishments are local and independent.

Madison Park is known as a destination neighborhood with high community involvement and a small, affluent population. The neighborhood is popular for the Madison Park Beach, bringing visitors from the entire region each summer.

Duwamish West Coast canoe and longhouse Cedar River (1893)

The Duwamish

Before it became one of Seattle’s most traveled arterial roads, Madison Street was originally a well-trodden game trail stretching from Elliott Bay to Lake Washington, used by the Xatchua'bsh (a Duwamish band known as “the Lake People") to hunt deer, bear and cougar. The Lake Washington end of this trail was called ‘Where One Chops’ by the Duwamish people.

Courtesy University of Oregon Special Collections (PH01_BX13_1418)

1862

McGilvra Settlement

Judge John J. McGilvra purchased the 420 acres along Lake Washington that later became the Madison Park neighborhood. Parallel to the game trail, McGilvra developed the road that later became Madison Street, to easily reach his home from downtown Seattle. In 1867, McGilvra built his home (called Laurel Shade), at approximately five blocks west of the future site of Lake Court Apartments.

Laurel Shade: McGilvra family home on the west shore of Lake Washington

Theodore E. Peiser, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

1880

Madison Park Dock: Gazebos seen from boat

Early Recreation

The McGilvra family were the sole residents of Madison Park until 1880, at which time they began platting the majority of the property to attract development. This marked a period of intense growth for the Madison Park neighborhood. A dock was established at the foot of Madison Street which became a popular location for small ferries offering transportation across and around the lake.

Public Domain, via Wikimedai Commons

1889

Shoreline & Cable Car

McGilvra developed a shoreline park for public use, and in 1889 established a cable car along Madison Street to facilitate easier access for the public. This was one of the earliest streetcar lines in the city and helped develop Madison Street into a major thoroughfare in later years.

Seattle Electric Co cable_car 52 on Madison Park_line (CURTIS 1577)

Asahel Curtis, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

1899

McGilvra School

Construction on the first school in the area began in 1899 (which later became the site of McGilvra Elementary, Seattle Landmark #124777), at approximately 4 blocks west of the future site of the Lake Court Apartments.

PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle;
All Rights Reserved

1890

Madison Park Recreation

1890 saw construction of the Madison Park Pavilion and the neighborhood as a popular recreation destination began to take shape. Recreation and amusements grew to include a boathouse, boat rentals, a walking promenade, swimming beach, floating bandstands, a Vaudeville theatre and Seattle’s first baseball diamond (Seattle’s first ever professional baseball game was played in Madison Park in May of 1890).

Theodore E. Peiser, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

1910

Pioneer Hall

Pioneer Hall (NRIS #70000645) was built in 1910 approximately 2 blocks south of the future site of the Lake Court Apartments. It remains one of the oldest structures in the Madison Park neighborhood today.

Lowman & Hanford, via Pioneer Association of the State of Washington

1912

Western WA Fairgrounds

Just north of Madison Street was the location of the Western Washington Fair Grounds, featuring a large oval track and covered grandstand for horse racing, livestock shows, and motorcycle racing.

Madison Park also briefly hosted “White City Park,” an amusement park with sideshows, a Ferris wheel, mini-railroad and a roller coaster (1910-1912).

Mini Railroad at Western Washington Fairgrounds

Unknown, accessed via Seattle Now & Then

1919

Madison Park Bathhouse

The construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal and the Montlake Cut in 1917 resulted in a 9-foot reduction in the water level of Lake Washington, which exposed additional shoreline and further enlarged the park. The original Madison Park Bathhouse was built in 1919 and is the sole remaining example of early wood-framed bathhouses in Seattle.

1920

Ferry Terminal

The ferry service was operated out of the Madison Park ferry landing, situated approximately 165 feet south of the Lake Court Apartments waterfront.

The first ferry between Madison Park and Kirkland was initially segregated by gender, and crossings from Madison Park to Kirkland took approximately 20 minutes, often carrying as many as 300 passengers. By 1911, Madison Park had regular scheduled passenger service eight times a day to Kirkland and Juanita and seven times a day to the Kirkland area.

An especially important piece of history for the Madison Park ferry was during the second World War. Gas rationing made driving difficult and many workers used the ferry to get from Seattle to the Lake Washington Shipyard near Kirkland. Ridership declined after the war with the development of floating bridges across the lake. The final ferry run on Lake Washington took place in 1950. Pillars of the original dock may still be observed near the Lakecrest building.