Looking north at Lake City Way from NE 98th Street: 1955 & 2012
The “Then” photo (click to enlarge) was taken on August 22, 1955 by the City of Seattle to document the construction of the Victory Heights sewer in the newly annexed (one year earlier) part of the city. Note the crosswalk: it would take an extremely brave pedestrian to walk across a four-lane state highway at an uncontrolled intersection (or did people drive slower back then on Lake City Way?–doubtful).
The “Now” photo was taken from approximately the same spot, looking north at Lake City Way from NE 98th Street in front of what is a bus shelter on the west side. The Eagle gas station has been replaced by the Italian Spaghetti House on the east side; Les Schwab, Summa and the ActivSpace on the west side have replaced the sea of billboards along the highway.
Visit the Seattle Municipal Archives site for many fascinating period photos.
Do you have a historic photograph of Victory Heights or information about our neighborhood’s history? Please write and share with us.