Fremont History Articles
The Fremont Neighborhood in Seattle is Founded in 1888
Each neighborhood of Seattle proudly waves the banner of its unique name, and yet many were named in a similar way: by real estate investors. Fremont in Seattle was also named by real estate investors. What made the Seattle neighborhood called Fremont stand out from others, was its good location, its jump-start after Seattle’s Great Fire of 1889, and its vigorous developers who utilized the growing streetcar system to advantage.
3400 Phinney Avenue North: the original trolley car barn
The red-brick trolley car barn in Fremont was built in 1905 as a home base for the five lines which traveled around the Fremont, Ballard, Phinney, and Greenlake areas. The parking area had pits below, used by mechanics who repaired the underworking of the cars. On the east side of the building was a yard with a wash tower for cleaning the cars.
The building was the first major streetcar service facility to be built in north Seattle,
3400 Phinney Avenue North: car barn
After nineteen years in Fremont, the Theo Chocolate Company has announced closure of their store in February 2025, as well as the store in Bellevue.
The Theo Chocolate building at 3400 Phinney Avenue North which had also been used as their factory, was built in 1905 as a car barn for the trolley system. The centrality of Fremont and the convergence of tracks there, helped earn the designation of Fremont as Center of the Universe.
The J.P. Dean Building at 3508 Fremont Avenue North
The J.P. Dean Building at 3508 Fremont Avenue North was named for Mr. Joseph P. Dean, the original building owner. Mr. Dean was a millwright who lived at 1554 NW 50th Street. He worked at the Fremont sawmill in the 1890s but later moved to Ballard and worked at the Seattle Cedar Lumber Manufacturing Company. He was promoted from millwright to foreman to master mechanic during his career at Seattle Cedar Lumber. His handsome Queen Anne style 1902 house still stands prominently at the NE corner of 17th NW &
