Cruising Seattle’s Lake Washington Emerald Coast

The northeast shoreline of Seattle on Lake Washington is known as the Emerald Coast of Seattle, the Emerald City. Seattle’s Lake Washington Emerald Coast neighborhoods are Madison Park, Harrison/Denny Blaine (commonly just “Denny-Blaine”) and Madrona. The Madison Park neighborhood includes the Seattle LW waterfront from the SR-520 Bridge to the north edge of the Seattle Tennis Club (p25 LW 130 Homes). Denny-Blaine is to the immediate south and includes the Seattle Tennis Club and the waterfront past the McCaw mansion on p38 of LW 130 Homes. Madrona is the next waterfront to the south. It includes Rob Glaser’s 3 lots and 2 mansions and the last (southern most) Seattle mansion in the book. That mansion belongs to Peter Rose and is on p40 of LW 130 Homes.

These are the prime Seattle neighborhoods. Before the floating bridges were built this was the area for the mansions of Seattle’s movers and shakers. Now the area is a diverse mix of old and new money along with some medium priced housing. There are many fantastic mansions, in addition to the shoreline, on the hills and surrounding the Broadmoor Golf Club. The Golf Club was founded in 1924 and overlooks Union Bay. The gated entrance to the Broadmoor Club and community is less than one mile from Madison Park’s waterfront park.

Madison Park (The Park)

Downtown Madison Park is one block inland

Madison Park pier/dock

Judge John J. McGilvra was the pioneer-founder of the Madison Park area in the 1860s when he acquired 420 acres in this area. A street is named after him. McGilvra built a road through forest from Seattle to his property and named it Madison Street after President James Madison. McGilvra set aside 24 acres for a public park at the end of Madison Street. The neighborhood was the home of “Madison Park” and assumed the same name.The Madison Park commercial district starts one block inland and covers about ten square blocks. It is an eclectic community of about 60 businesses including restaurants and coffee shops with sidewalk patio seating and various independently owned shops.

Reed Estate (left) and Washington Park Tower (right)

The 23 story Washington Park Tower is our landmark. It and the adjacent condos are to the immediate south of Madison Park (The Park). Washington Park Tower has 53 condominiums and was built in 1969. This is the highest residential building on Lake Washington.

At the Washington Park Tower Dock

The five waterfront homes south of here are in an exclusive gated community of nine homes. This is the 8 acre Reed Estate where Howard Schultz lives and where Gary Reed grew up. It was established in the early 1900s by Gary’s grandfather, Mark Edward Reed. It was that era’s version of the current Gates and Allen estates. It was subdivided in the 1940s into a private gated community of nine homes. The only homes here of the 1940s era are on LW 130 Homes pages 20 and 22. When the property was subdivided one of the mansions was cut into 3 pieces and barged to Mercer Island. It is the house on page 72 of LW 130 Homes and in the 2/16/12 post. The mansions (Schultz, Reed, Diamond, Alvord et al.) on Madison Park’s waterfront are featured in the 4/22/12 post.

Entrance gate to the Reed Estate nine home community

Mansion on Mercer Island that was barged from the Reed Estate

Denny-Blaine Waterfront with the Seattle Tennis Club in the foreground

Viewing Denny-Blaine in the spring

Denny-Blaine and Madrona have many fabulous old mansions with gorgeous grounds on the waterfront and on the hills above. Plus there are many newer modern mansions. The mansions (Ackerley, Horowitz, Ragen, Keister, Chesnut, Moll et al.) on north Denny Blaine’s waterfront are featured in the 4/20/12 post. The mansions (McCaw, Kurt Cobain, Blume, Robbins et al.) on south Denny Blaine’s waterfront are featured in the 4/19/12 post. The mansions (Glaser – Rose et al.) on Madrona’s waterfront are featured in the 4/14/12 post.

View from Denny-Blaine looking east

Rob Glasers Madrona 3 lot and 2 mansions compound

Where President Obama had lunch in 2010

(see Seattle Mansions 9/27/10 post)

(This is the third chapter [go to next chapter “Cruising NW Mercer Island”] of our “Lake Washington Cruising” series. The chapters are being posted in reverse order. When all chapters are posted they will be in order in this blog with the first chapter at the top. You can read and print an abbreviated pdf version of the entire series.)