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 & NW 50th in Ballard.
The J.P. Dean Building was constructed in 1912 by Alex Carter, an English immigrant who lived in Fremont at 3611 2nd Ave NW. He specialized in house moving, but he may have had additional skills. The building permit was issued on March 5, 1912. The cost to build the two-story building was estimated at $8,000. The building has a rusticated cast stone façade similar to that of the Fremont Hotel. Numerous permits were issued to allow alteration of the building for various tenants in 1914, 1917, early-mid 1920s, and again in the 1950s and 1960s.
The J.P. Dean building has been in Linden family ownership since the early 1930s when Andy Linden bought the building as an investment. He was born in Sweden and came to the United States in 1901. He was listed in the 1910 census as a cabinetmaker, living at 317 E. Thomas Street. He operated Linden Furniture store from 1912 to 1948, when he retired. The furniture store was located close to the Fremont Bridge until the early 1920s and then moved to 940 N. 34th Street, close to the intersection of Stone Way.
At the time of the 1938 property survey photos, the Fremont Confectionery appeared to be the only tenant at storefront level in the 3508 building. Other storefronts were vacant during that 1930s time of economic depression. Fremont was economically impacted not only by the Great Depression, but also by the opening of the Aurora Bridge in 1932, which created a bypass and caused a decline in shopping in Fremont.
Mr. Klieros, proprietor of Fremont Confectionery, was born in Turkey. He came to the United States in 1914 and was a partner in a restaurant. He operated the Fremont Confectionery Company for 33 years. He lived at 722 N. 36th Street and later at 714 N. 46th Street. He was a member of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church.
Today the storefronts along the 3500 block of Fremont Avenue are interesting and add to the nurture of local merchants in the Fremont business district.
Sources: Al Linden; Polk Seattle Directories; City of Seattle permit records; Historical Survey and Planning Study of Fremont’s Commercial Area, Carol Tobin, 1991; Theodore Klieros Obituary,10/24/1958 Seattle Times; Andy Linden Obituary, 10/4/1953 Seattle P.I.;U.S. Census, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940; Seattle Department of Neighborhoods website, Database of Historic Properties.