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.)

Blogs Seattle’s Lake Washington Waterfront – The Emerald Coast

My favorite blogs featuring Seattle’s Lake Washington Emerald Coast (Madison Park, Denny-Blaine and Madrona) are Madison Park Blogger and Seattle Waterfront Homes.

Madison Park Blogger is by Bryan Tagas. He posts articles about 10 times per month. From his 4/22/12 post: “Today marks the third anniversary of Madison Park Blogger. What began as something of a lark has morphed over time into a cross between a labor of love and a duty. My goal has been to provide Madison Park with a timely source of news and (very occasionally) commentary, about the things that impact this .9 square miles of lakeside turf that we are lucky enough to inhabit. I remain dedicated to that mission. . .” Bryan is a longtime Seattle corporate banker who is at heart a frustrated journalist. He graduated from Roosevelt High School and UW (where he served as editor of The Daily) and has been a Madison Park resident since 2002.

Seattle Waterfront Homes is by Sam DeBord. He posts articles about 15 times per month. From his 4/21/12 post: “Waterfront home sales in Seattle were up 57% from February to March, with the seasonal rise in sales being bolstered by an even stronger rise in home buyers’ confidence in the market. Eleven Seattle waterfront homes were sold last month, with the top prices reaching $1.5 million for a waterfront condo in Madison Park and $1.95 million for a waterfront home in Laurelhurst. . .” Sam is a Realtor and Managing Broker in the Northgate office of Coldwell Banker Danforth. He is a Puget Sound native, has a business degree from USC and has worked in the real estate industry, including technology/web development, for the majority of his life. He has been interviewed as an industry expert by such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Realtor Magazine, Money Magazine, and Seattle Homes and Lifestyles.

Seattle Neighborhoods Lake Washington Waterfront – The Emerald Coast

Seattle’s Lake Washington Emerald Coast neighborhoods are Madison Park, Harrison/Denny Blaine (commonly just “Denny-Blaine”) and Madrona. The Madison Park neighborhood includes all the Seattle LW waterfront from the SR-520 Bridge to what would be the extension east of Prospect St (the north edge of the Seattle Tennis Club, p25 LW 130 Homes). Denny-Blaine is to the immediate south and includes the waterfront to Howell Pl, just south of Denny Blaine Park, Viretta (Kurt Cobain) Park, and 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 through the last LW 130 Homes Seattle mansion, Peter Rose’s on p40. The Leschi neighborhood is to the immediate south of Madrona.

The Seattle City Government web site is the basis for these boundaries. Some real estate sites, Google and Wikipedia have different definitions of the neighborhoods and boundaries. For example, some list a “Washington Park” neighborhood but the City does not list any neighborhood by this name. Wikipedia and Google define, but each differently, Washington Park as a small 5 acre neighborhood in central Denny-Blaine, with no waterfront, adjacent to the south end of Broadmoor Golf Club and the Washington Park Arboretum. Some real estate listings have some Madison Park and Denny-Blaine waterfront homes listed as being in Washington Park. Neighborhoods apparently don’t have “official” boundaries because I am told, by residents and Realtors, the city officials are not “official.” Realtors, residents and neighborhood associations like to say their homes are in the neighborhoods that they think are the most prestigious. They may be right.

People who don’t live in the area often refer to the entire Emerald Coast area as Madison Park (as I do in the above map) because it is the best known and has a business district.

Seattle Madrona Waterfront Mansions

Glaser – Rose et al. Madrona Mansions

$5.0 Million For Sale, Betsy Terry, Ewing & Clark, “Wonderful waterfront parcel with 70 feet of private beach, dock, thoughtful plantings, and large lot. Home is ready for a remodel or build your own dream home. Seller has plans for a Suyama residence. Choice in-city Lake Washington beachfront property.” The property is owned by Rob Glaser who owns this and the two properties to the south (next paragraph). This property is part of his three lot estate with this lot currently being used as a side yard and play area for the kids. There is a children’s play house on the lot. The lot is 0.3 acres with 70 feet of waterfront.

The major Seattle fund raiser for President Obama and U.S. Senator Patty Murray on August 17, 2010, was at the new 7,300 and 5,240 sq ft mansions of Rob and Cori Glaser. 60 prominent Democratic donors attended the $10,000 per late luncheon. Rob, a former Microsoft mega-millionaire, started RealNetworks in 1995. He recently retired from his CEO position at the company. RealNetworks produces music, video and other software for PCs, smart phones, and portable music players. Some of its best known products are RealPlayer and RealRhapsody. The 5,240 sq ft mansion on the left (south) was built in 1980 and had a major renovation completed in 2008 when the new 7,300 sq ft mansion on the right (north) was completed. The two mansions and the side yard to the north are on 0.6 acres with 220 feet of waterfront. The side yard is listed for sale (see previous paragraph). More information on Glaser and the fundraiser is in a Seattle Mansions 9/27/10 post.

This mansion was purchased 2/15/2008 for $15.8 Million. The mansion is on page 23 of LW 130 Homes. This is our southern-most Seattle LW Map of the Stars^® mansion and is the home of Peter J. and Patricia Rose. Peter is the Chairman and CEO of Seattle based Expeditors International. The Puget Sound Business Journal named him “Executive of The Year” in 2004 and Barron’s named him one of the top thirty CEOs of 2008. Expeditors is one of the largest global logistics companies with over 250 worldwide locations. The mansion is 9,200 sq ft on 0.46 acres with 120 feet of waterfront. The original mansion was built in 1930 and extensively rebuilt in 2007.

Madrona Park marks the south end of Madrona. Next to the south is the Leschi neighborhood. Leschi has a nice marina with guest docking for two excellent waterfront restaurants, BluWater Bistro and Daniel’s Broiler. The BluWater is one of Bill Gates’ favorites. Further south are the two spans of the I-90 floating bridges. The vertical clearance for boats under the bridges is only about 30 feet. Taller ships can navigate under the East Channel I-90 Bridge, with about 70 feet vertical clearance, that connects Mercer Island to Bellevue.

Cruising Northwest Mercer Island

Afternoon on LW North of I-90

Between Leschi/Madrona and Bellevue/NW Mercer Island is one of my favorite places on the lake. It is between the SR-520 and I-90 floating bridges. In the afternoon the sun reflects off the glass in Bellevue’s new modern high-rise buildings and 14,400 ft Mt Rainier. The views also include 10,800 ft Mt Baker to the north and the mountains (highest peak 10,500 ft) in the North Cascades National Park to the east.

The first floating bridge connecting Seattle to Mercer Island was built in 1940. A second bridge, as part of the Interstate highway system (I-90), was completed in 1989 and the old bridge was closed for repairs. The next year during a Thanksgiving storm, while work continued, most of the 1940 bridge sank. That bridge, the southern one, was re-completed in 1993.

I-90 continues to the eastern mainland across the East Channel from Mercer Island via a conventional high-rise bridge. The first bridge there was completed in 1923 and provided the first road off the island. That bridge was torn down after one span of the current bridge was built in 1940. A second span was opened in 1992 as part of the I-90 system.

The west-end 7 miles of Interstate 90 were the last miles to be completed on not only I-90 but on the three coast-to-coast Interstate highways. It took 30 years of community protests and legal battles to go from initial plans to completion. These 7 miles, at $1.6 billion, were the most expensive 7 miles in the entire Interstate highway system. Much of the high cost was due to the floating bridges but the most expensive ½ mile, costing $150 million, is on Mercer Island with its lid over the freeway park.

In the early 1900s there were a total of about 25 ferry landings on all sides of Mercer Island. The northwest side of Mercer Island has four prominent points. All the points were ferry landings. The eastern point in Luther Burbank Park is Calkins Point, the west side of the middle point is Roanoke Landing, the point on the NW corner of MI is Faben Point and the point about 0.7 miles south of I-90 is Proctor Landing.

Mercer Island (MI) is the largest and only residential island in Lake Washington. It is six miles long and averages about one mile wide for 6.4 square miles of land with about fifteen miles of waterfront. It has approximately 22,000 residents. It is the U.S.’s most populated island in a lake. The northwestern area, before the bridges were built and the Island was incorporated as a city, was named “East Seattle.” It still carries that name as a MI neighborhood.

Afternoon on LW South of I-90 Floating Bridges – Looking at MI’s NW Shoreline

Northwest Mercer Island has more, compared to any other LW Map of the Stars^® area, mansion sales, listings and new construction greater than $12 million. These mansions are in 3/11/12 and 3/12/12 posts. Notable sports stars that formerly owned waterfront homes in this area include Jim Zorn and Kazuhiro Sasaki. Top executives of Amazon, Costco, Microsoft, Nordstrom and Boeing have waterfront homes in this area and are in the previous NW MI Homes 3/17/12 post.

The western shore of Mercer Island south of the I-90 Bridge has prime viewing for Seattle Seafair’s Blue Angels air shows. The “Boaters Guide to Seafair” 3/10/12 post has more information.

Family Boating West Side MI Looking South

South of the Seafair area, on the Seattle side of LW, are Andrews Bay and Seward Park. From many lake locations the park appears to be an island but it is connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. Andrews Bay is north of the isthmus and well protected. It is the only authorized in LW spot for overnight anchoring. It is popular for day anchoring, swimming in 75° fresh water, having boat parties and spending the nights on summer weekends. It reminds me of my sailing days in Southern California and mooring in Catalina’s harbors and bays. The “Andrews Bay – Anchoring and Partying” 2/27/12 post has more information.

From NW MI Viewing Sunset, Seward Park and Andrews Bay.

(This is the fourth chapter [go to next chapter] of our “Lake Washington Cruising” article. 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. I will be posting approximately one chapter per week. You can read and print an abbreviated pdf version of the entire article.

Copyright © 2012 by David C. Dykstra