City of Kenmore Photo Album; History Page 1

City of Kenmore

City of Kenmore - 6700 NE 181st St - PO Box 82607, Kenmore WA 98028 - Phone: 425-398-8900 - Fax: 425-481-3236

City of Kenmore Photo Album 'A visual tour of the City we love'

The McMaster Shingle Mill on the Lake Washington shoreline The McMaster Shingle Mill sprawls along the Lake Washington shoreline in 1909. The foreground buildings face a dirt road that later became Bothell Way. Just beyond are the railroad tracks and in the background is the site of the future Inglewood area. Photo courtesy of Snohomish County Museum & Historical Association and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society	American hotel remains Kenmore's first hotel, the American, housed Greek and Italian immigrant workers who laid the bricks for the road in 1913 that became Bothell Way. Photo courtesy of the Bannister family and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society

Future air harbor A former swamp hosts the beginnings of Kenmore Air Harbor in 1946. Owner Bob Munro and his family lived in the house (right) that also served as an office for his small fleet of floatplanes. Photo courtesy of Kenmore Air Harbor and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society	Mitchell Grocery Store The intersection of Bothell Way and 68th Avenue NE appears serene in the early 1940s with its single stoplight. The community's first grocery store, on the northwest corner of the intersection, was built by James and Sarah Mitchell in 1919. Next door, Ed and Eliza Mahler opened Kenmore's first gas station, a Mobil outlet, in 1920. Photo courtesy of Doris Clements and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society

Nite & Day Market Founded in 1946, the Nite & Day Market continues serving the motoring public from its site at 6233 Bothell Way overlooking Lake Washington. Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives, Puget Sound Regional Branch and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society

Dygert/Telquist garage Al Telquist (right) operated Kenmore's first auto-repair garage, at 65th Avenue NE and Bothell Way, beginning in 1922 with his father-in-law Dan Dygert. The large sign above the door reads "Kenmore Garage, Shell Gasoline, Day and Night Service." (Man at left is unidentified). Photo courtesy of the Telquist family and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society	Industrial site on the lake Multiple use of the Lake Washington shoreline in 1948 shows the Northwest Plywood mill and its log boom located next to Kenmore Building Materials (center). Barely visible at lower left is Kenmore Air Harbor. The scene is bounded by Bothell Way (upper). Photo courtesy of the Menard family and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society

Old Kenmore Pre-Mix trucks The first fleet of Kenmore Pre-Mix trucks are poised to serve the building boom of the 1950s, when concrete products were in especially high demand. Photo courtesy of Jane Hallock Paige and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society

Helping Develop Kenmore Real estate offices sprang up in the Kenmore area in the 1920s and '30s to promote the availability of cheap land. This office on Bothell Way at 63rd Avenue NE advertised large view lots with water and electricity for "$200 and up." This site is occupied today by the Tai Ho Restaurant. Photo courtesy of Doris Clements and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society	Kenmore Inn The Kenmore Inn staff stands ready to offer oysters and Sunday dining in March 1935. The cafe opened in the early 1930s at 63rd Avenue NE and Bothell Way, giving way to the Chowder Bowl in 1941. It is now the site of Passport Travel. Photo courtesy of Loren Day and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society

First Kenmore Library Kenmore children enjoy storytelling by local resident Ruth Munson outside the Kenmore Library in the early 1960s while librarian Jean Smith listens (left). The former barn on 73rd Avenue NE became the first Kenmore Library in 1958 through community efforts. Photo courtesy of King County Library System and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society		Emmanuel Tabernacle The congregation of Emmanuel Tabernacle mission church at Linwood Heights clusters outside the church in the 1940s. The church name later became Bethel Evangelical Free Church. Photo courtesy of Ruth Rongerude and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society

Victory Drive Inn Hungry customers received curb service at Kenmore's first drive-in restaurant, called Ingram's Drive Inn and later Victory Inn as a tribute to the World War II effort. Les and Mary Ogle took over the restaurant in 1942 on Bothell Way just west of 68th NE.

Ward's Resort Ward's Beach Resort on the north end of Lake Washington was a popular destination for recreation from 1947 to 1959. The property owned by Carl Ward later became Uplake Marina and then Davidson's Marina. Photo courtesy of Carl Ward and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society		Kenmore's first City Council The first city council, elected in the spring of 1998 to guide the new government, became official when the city incorporated in August 1998. Members, left to right, are Tika Esler, deputy mayor Dick Taylor, Deborah Chase, mayor Jack Crawford, Chip Davidson, Steve Colwell, and Elodie Morse.

Early Kenmore Fire Department The Kenmore Fire Department displays a variety of equipment in the late 1950s at its first station, located at 67th Avenue NE and NE 181st Street. The vehicles are (left to right) the "whoopee wagon," a 1954 Ford panel truck remodeled as an aid unit, a 1944 Mercury ladder truck, a 1949 Ward LaFrance ladder truck, and the department's newest vehicle, a 1955 Mac pumper truck. Photo courtesy of Kenmore Fire Department and provided by Kenmore Heritage Society
Return to Photo Album