Hey neighbors! We’re starting something fun here at Fremont Neighbor – a new series called Stone Way Rising where we’ll take you on a neighborly stroll from Lake Union all the way up to 45th Street. We’ll dig into the stories behind the buildings, peek into the businesses, and chat about all the changes happening along the Stone Way corridor.
Sure, Stone Way’s buzzing with shiny new apartments and that nice coffee spot you’ve been meaning to try, but this street has some serious Fremont history. Let’s start where it all begins, right at the water’s edge.
How Stone Way Got Its Name
Back in May 1888, some forward-thinking folks decided our little corner of Lake Union had potential and officially platted Fremont as a community. Stone Way got its name from Corliss P. Stone, who actually served as Seattle’s mayor way back when. His nephew Edward C. Kilbourne was the guy who brought the streetcar out here and made Fremont a major transit hub, which contributed to Fremont being known as The Center of the Universe.
Remembering the Stone Way Bridge
Before our iconic Fremont Bridge became the neighborhood’s crown jewel, there was actually another bridge right here: the Stone Way Bridge. Built in 1911, this tall wooden span carried everything from people to horse-drawn wagons to streetcars across what would eventually become the Ship Canal. It only stuck around until 1917 when the Fremont Bridge opened, but for those six years, it was basically Fremont’s front porch.
That Hidden Gem at Waterway 22
If you’ve ever wandered down to the northwest corner where Stone Way meets N Northlake Way, you might have noticed Waterway 22. It’s pretty overgrown right now—the blackberries and ivy have basically thrown a wild party and taken over—but the downtown view from there is beautiful. The state owns it, and the Friends of North Lake Union are working on plans to maybe clean it up someday so we can all enjoy that little slice of waterfront.
Our Beloved Burke-Gilman Trail
Hard to imagine, but the Burke-Gilman Trail wasn’t always packed with cyclists (including those e-bike speed demons we all love to complain about!), joggers, and families with strollers. It actually follows the old Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway route from the late 1880s. When the freight trains called it quits in the ’70s, neighbors and the city got together and turned it into the 20-mile ribbon of recreational goodness we can’t imagine living without.
1090 N Northlake Way – Where Trains Used to Stop
Right there along the trail at the foot of Stone Way, you’ll find 1090 N Northlake Way. These days it’s home to Nola hair salon and Mini Bar Seattle, but old-timers in the neighborhood say this building used to be a railroad freight depot back in the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern days. Pretty cool to think it’s one of the last reminders of when freight trains actually chugged through our waterfront.
1300 N Northlake Way – The Blue Rooster Building
Keep walking east along Northlake Way, and you can’t miss 1300 N Northlake Way, the Blue Rooster Building. Built in 1999, it’s that cheerful two-story office building with the killer lake views. These days, it houses Vannevar Labs, a defense-tech company, and New Engen, a digital marketing company.
N 34th Street – Hardworking Main Street
Right where Stone Way begins, you’ll hit N 34th Street, basically Fremont’s hardworking main drag for over a century now. Back in the early 1900s, this street connected both bridge landings to all the boat yards, warehouses, and rail businesses that kept the waterfront humming. The scene’s changed quite a bit since then, but 34th Street is still very much Fremont’s welcoming front door.
Coming Up Next: The Climb Begins
Next time, we’ll follow that rise from 34th to N 35th Street, where the old buildings and new construction tell the tale of Stone Way’s past meeting its future.
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I love this, especially since Stone Way is changing into more of an urban residential area and since so many of us are transplants moving from other areas and getting a history lesson about how things came to be is great.
Great article. More, please!
Nice start!
I’ll be curious just how far up Stone you continue to call things “Fremont”, as the demarcation line seems to get higher every year. Just last week or so the Seattle Times said the Seattle Meowtropolitan cat cafe is in Fremont! :-/
You can go look at Seattle city neighborhood map, and the answer would be 45th, which definitely put Meowtropolitan in Fremont. If you look at Fremont neighborhood council map, then it's all the way to 50th.
The bigger issue isn't that. It's the businesses on the east side of Stone Way are calling themselves to be in Fremont. Bouldering Project on Interlake is calling itself Bouldering Project Fremont.
Stone Way N from Lake Union to Green Lake Park could legit become the Las Ramblas of Seattle.
The depot at Northlake and Stone was not the last manifestation of freight trains in Wallingford. I remember from the late 70s how Diesel trains (not chugging steam trains, alas) would come through with cargo for a long-gone insulation company where 34th becomes Pacific, and a boxcar each of insulation and sheetrock for Dunn Lumber. The railroad was so reluctant to cede its right-of-way that the city built the now-derelict Northlake Bikeway instead. Soon after, the railroad reversed its policy, and we got the Burke Gilman. That narrow parking lot between Dunn Lumber and the bike trail exists because it was once a railroad siding.
Thanks for the local history note Harvey!
Stone Way is not Fremont. It used to be Wallingford, but it seems that ship has sailed. The area between the Aurora Bridge and Interlake Avenue really needs its own name (and not "Wallingmont" or "Freford").