Queen Anne Historical Society

01/08/2025

Did you know today is National Take the Stairs Day? Kind of an easy one for us here on Queen Anne...any of our 121 staircases will suffice!

01/04/2025

Earlier this year, we celebrated Preservation Month by recognizing some of the people and places that make Queen Anne such a wonderful historic neighborhood. One of our 2024 winners was the Cascade Parent Partnership, who won the 2024 Outstanding Renovation Award for their work on the North Queen Anne School.

We recently asked Owen Gonder, Principal at CPP, about his favorite Queen Anne memories and locations - check it out! https://www.qahistory.org/articles/preservation-awards-winner-north-queen-anne-school

12/31/2024

As of December 19, our board president Leanne has walked all 121 staircases of Queen Anne!

Leanne writes, "A delightful adventure that had me poking around all the corners of Queen Anne, many that I'd never walked. To finish, here's the most hilarious: the only way to this home's front door is via the public stairs on Queen Anne!"

Have you finished your stair climb for the year? With 2025 right around the corner, it might be a great goal to set!

12/18/2024

Earlier this year, we celebrated Preservation Month by recognizing some of the people and places that make Queen Anne such a wonderful historic neighborhood. One of our 2024 winners was the Queen Anne Masonic Temple Townhouses, who won our Outstanding Adaptive Reuse award.

Built in 1905 as the Sunset Telephone and Telegraph Exchange, these townhomes were adapted by a project team that included R&R Development, Ryche Contracting, and Steve Kennedy, Queen Anne Real Estate Specialist, Compass & Eiffel Tour LLC, N5 Architecture, DCI Engineers, and BOLA Architecture + Planning. We met up with two members of the team to chat more about the neighborhood - check it out! https://www.qahistory.org/articles/qa-masonic-temple-townhomes

12/04/2024

It’s Giving Tuesday - and we can’t think of a better time to renew your membership (or join!)

Our preservation work only happens because of donations from our community, and we thank you for your continued support! ❤️

Join the Queen Anne Historical Society today

11/30/2024

It’s the holiday season, and that means holiday lights!! ✨

We want to see your favorite holiday lights from the neighborhood - whether it’s your home or a neighbor’s. We’ll feature as many as we can on our page!

11/28/2024

Our board president Leanne has another update on her ambitious goal to climb all 121 of Queen Anne's stairs: the haunted stairs?!

The most disappointing stairs? I had heard the tale of these potentially haunted stairs: in 1921, a young woman allegedly fell to her death on the rickety stairs on the way to meet her fiancé. The stairs were soon replaced with stone. Legend has it that several years later, another young woman walking the same stairs heard someone whisper, "Turn back now!" She heeded the ghostly warning, retracing her steps, only to watch the newly built stone stairs slide down the hill.

So I expected dark, creaky, malevolent stairs with a cold breeze on a warm day. Much to my chagrin, they are now a short run of concrete steps, complete with a handrail and an expanding planting at the bottom. No ghosts!

How many stairs have you climbed this winter?

11/22/2024

It's time to renew your membership! Or, if you're new here, it's time to join!

The Queen Anne Historical Society has been celebrating and preserving the history of our community since 1971, thanks to the support of neighbors like you. Your continued support allows us to offer free walking tours, work on landmarking efforts, and more.

Join us in our mission, to preserve, protect and share the history of the people and places of Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood. Your continued support of our work is so appreciated! https://www.qahistory.org/become-a-member

11/18/2024

Did you know the oldest stairs in all of Seattle are right here in Queen Anne?

Built in 1905, you can find this staircase connecting 6th Ave W to Highland and Comstock. And yes, the stairs are still there - but 110 years of plant growth has hidden them from view. You'll just have to find them yourself!

📸 1: Seattle Municipal Archives
📸 2, 3: QAHS

11/11/2024

Today and every day, we remember, honor, and thank our veterans for their service.

Pictured here is Lester Green, a resident of Queen Anne who served in World War I. This photo was taken in 1912, when Green was only 21. He lived on 13th Ave W. and was a member of the International Woodworkers of America.