Aug 03, 1982
National Register of Historic Places - Loomis House
Statement of Significant: During the years. from the early 1870's through 1888, two small communities on the northeast shore of Lake Washington were experiencing very slow growth. These small, casual groupings of settlers and farmers were located at Houghton and about a mile north, clustered around a small bay. No actual town was formed by these communities. In 1886 the area was visited by Peter Kirk, an Englishman who eventually consider- ably changed the pace of the area. Kirk, a member of a successful steel industry family, came to the Seattle area looking for an opportunity to build a steel empire in the United States. Pleased with what he found, he chose the area around what was to become Kirkland as the site for his new steel mill and city which would become the "Pittsburgh of the West." After making all necessary arrangements in England, Kirk returned to this area in 1888 with an entourage of engineers and craftsmen to begin work in Ernest on his empire. Kirk and his Seattle business partners, A. A. Denny, George Heilbron, Leigh S. Hunt, and Walter Williams the Secretary of the Moss Bay Steel Works in England, incorporated the Kirkland Land and Improvement Company in July, 1888. This company was formed to handle buying and selling of properties, buildings and houses and overseeing the general development of the town itself. One of the first projects undertaken by the newly formed company was the construction of a series of attractive wood frame houses on the view hill west of the Market Street business district. The houses were built for sale as a speculative venture which was certain to succeed since the steel mill promised to employ some 2,000 new people and they would certainly require housing. Finished in 1889, this house was first sold to William A. Jones on September 3, 1891 for $650.00. Apparently, the purchaser was also a shrewd speculator because the house resold the following day, Sept. 4, 1891, to E. A. Cardinal for $900.00. The "Pittsburgh of the West" dream was never to be realized. Due to complex problems with the railroads and his backers, Peter Kirk was caught unprepared for the financial crash of 1893 and the mill never opened. The next record of sale reflects the financial atmosphere of post "crash" in Kirk- land with the house selling to William Love in 1895 for $100.00.
National Register of Historic Places - Loomis House
Statement of Significant: During the years. from the early 1870's through 1888, two small communities on the northeast shore of Lake Washington were experiencing very slow growth. These small, casual groupings of settlers and farmers were located at Houghton and about a mile north, clustered around a small bay. No actual town was formed by these communities. In 1886 the area was visited by Peter Kirk, an Englishman who eventually consider- ably changed the pace of the area. Kirk, a member of a successful steel industry family, came to the Seattle area looking for an opportunity to build a steel empire in the United States. Pleased with what he found, he chose the area around what was to become Kirkland as the site for his new steel mill and city which would become the "Pittsburgh of the West." After making all necessary arrangements in England, Kirk returned to this area in 1888 with an entourage of engineers and craftsmen to begin work in Ernest on his empire. Kirk and his Seattle business partners, A. A. Denny, George Heilbron, Leigh S. Hunt, and Walter Williams the Secretary of the Moss Bay Steel Works in England, incorporated the Kirkland Land and Improvement Company in July, 1888. This company was formed to handle buying and selling of properties, buildings and houses and overseeing the general development of the town itself. One of the first projects undertaken by the newly formed company was the construction of a series of attractive wood frame houses on the view hill west of the Market Street business district. The houses were built for sale as a speculative venture which was certain to succeed since the steel mill promised to employ some 2,000 new people and they would certainly require housing. Finished in 1889, this house was first sold to William A. Jones on September 3, 1891 for $650.00. Apparently, the purchaser was also a shrewd speculator because the house resold the following day, Sept. 4, 1891, to E. A. Cardinal for $900.00. The "Pittsburgh of the West" dream was never to be realized. Due to complex problems with the railroads and his backers, Peter Kirk was caught unprepared for the financial crash of 1893 and the mill never opened. The next record of sale reflects the financial atmosphere of post "crash" in Kirk- land with the house selling to William Love in 1895 for $100.00.
Aug 03, 1982
Posted Date
Jul 19, 2023
Historical Record Date
Aug 03, 1982
Source Name
National Register of Historic Places
