Life In The Pacific Northwest
Starting last week, MOHAI is presenting American Spirits: The Rise And Fall Of Prohibition. Running now until August 23, the story of Prohibition, Seattle and the way our region both pushed the boundaries, as well as feeling the impact of this hallmark period in our country’s evolution. Should be a fascinating exploration in this social experiment and the long-standing repercussions.
This morning I drove out to Bothell from Lynnwood. As I hate the freeways, especially in the morning, I back-roaded it out there. Passing a number of construction sites out there didn’t surprise me. This area is quite high in demand, as it’s really the furthermost north end the East-side. One thing in particular stood out: some houses on Vine Road with fencing around them.
I first remember seeing these decades ago. These looked just like all the military housing I’d grew up around. At first that seemed strange, then I learned about Nike Hill. Named after the missile silo not-so-secretly placed on the summit of the hill, I believed the housing was originally for those soldiers. They were built in in 1950, right around the time the silo first came online. Also, the street (technically 216th Pl SW) is Nike Manor Rd. So, viola!
Now, the buildings are owned by the Navy, so my guess is that they were housing sailors stationed with the Everett Homeport. Today, fenced off and vacant, I wondered if they’d been sold to private developers, but they still show as owned by the LLC that the Navy set up to manage properties in the region. So, perhaps they’re going to upgrade these. As they’re pretty much unchanged from the 1950s, that should be rather welcome.
Anyway, I look forward to seeing what’s to come there.
Sidebar: Here’s an interesting article about the site, and how it became the FEMA regional headquarters it is now.
My son’s school had their final skating party of the year this evening. My memory calls this the Lynnwood Rollaway, though it’s now called Bowl & Skate. Whether Rollaway is legit, or some weird memory glitch, I’m unsure. Whatever the name, these are fun, though it’s different for the kids than the adults. Catching up with the other parents: fun. For me, though, there’s one additional piece. This rink is where I spent a great deal of my pre-teen and early teen years. Many formative moments happened here. It’s a key part of my, as well as the city’s history. I wonder how many first kisses, romances, fights, breakups, ups and downs, all within these same walls.
Oddly, to me, the space looks very much the same. Now, that could just be a memory trick. Memory is quite malleable. But, the visual cues seem unchanged.
I’m not sure how clearly these pictures will come through, but you should at least glean the basic idea. Anyway, it’s pleasing to me that the space has maintained that essence, and that my son gets to experience it…at least as close to that as we can. History continues.