Martin Ballard arrived in Seattle in 1882. By 1885, he had founded the Seattle Hardware Company and helped found the National Bank of Commerce. In 1900, following the lead of other prominent Seattleites, Ballard built a large home on the south side of Queen Anne Hill, overlooking the city and bay.
After Ballard's death in 1907, the home went through several owners and slowly fell into disrepair. It was divided into apartments in 1932, and in 1973 was purchased by a developer, who wanted to build a large apartment complex on the site. The project was delayed, and in the meantime, the Queen Anne Historical Society had gotten the property designated a Seattle landmark in May 1979. The building was renovated in 1986 and the rooms converted to luxury rental apartments. As of 2017, the building still stands at 22 West Highland Drive.
Here, John Howard sands down one of the columns on the facade of the Ballard Mansion in preparation for an opening ceremony on September 12, 1986.
Caption information source: The Seattle Times, September 14, 1986, p. B12 Caption information source: "Seattle Landmarks: Ballard/Howe House (1901)," HistoryLink Essay 3197 Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.
Caption information derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.
