Another in a series of Fremont scenes. This is a view from under the canopy of the History House of Greater Seattle at 790 North 34th Street in Fremont, just under and to the west of the Aurora Bridge. Suzie Burke founded the museum in 1998 to celebrate the history, heritage, and art of Seattle’s diverse neighborhoods. Because its motto is “giving every neighborhood a place to tell its story,” the museum allows the residents themselves rather than a curator to define the history and evolution of the neighborhood being featured.

This is the center of Vashon town—the four-way stop at the intersection of Vashon Highway SW and SW Bank Road. On the southwest corner stands The Hardware Store restaurant, the home of “great, good food.” The popular restaurant also hosts a fine bar and art gallery space showcasing the work of island artists. As the name of the restaurant implies, the structure formerly housed the Vashon Hardware Store. Built in 1890, it is the oldest commercial building on Vashon Island and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Designed by city architect Daniel R. Huntington in the Mission Revival style, the Fremont Branch of the Seattle Public Library system has stucco walls, decorative ironwork, and gable and hip roofs covered with clay roof tiles. It was the last Seattle branch library built with funds donated by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Work was scheduled to begin in 1917, but budget issues and World War I delayed construction until 1921.

Remodeled several times over the years, the structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a landmark building by Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board.

Sometimes, there isn’t that spark that inspires me to draw. This is how I felt when the Seattle Urban Sketchers met last Sunday morning in Georgetown, supposedly the oldest neighborhood in Seattle. Founded on the Duwamish River in 1851, Georgetown incorporated in 1904 and was annexed by Seattle in 1910.

While there are a number of interesting buildings and settings in the Georgetown neighborhood, the trouble for me was in finding an appealing scene—a set of spatial relationships that could be composed in an interesting way. I finally settled on this particular view along Airport Way South. What caught my eye were the storefront signs above the sidewalk, the freeway signs beyond, and of course, the overhead tangle of wiring.

Another memorable setting for me in Fremont is Les Amis, self-described as “the Seattle home of up and coming fashion designers…rustically fashioned… with romantic country sensibilities…” I have always admired the “shabby chic” face it presents to the street, especially when the Wisteria overhanging the front awning of the shop is in bloom.

On a nice sunny day here in Seattle, I drew this view of the Terminal 86 Grain Facility. The Port of Seattle built this grain terminal in 1970 to replace the Hanford Street Terminal and satisfy the need for a larger facility as grain exports from the Northwest grew. It sits along and over Myrtle Edwards Park on Elliott Bay and frames a view of downtown Seattle beyond.