Kirkland: Historical Heritage in a Dynamic Setting

Kirkland is an unique city, situated on the eastern shores of Lake Washington, only few minutes away from Seattle. A community like no other, Kirkland provides the combination of picturesque waterfront parks, an ideal place for reading a book, with the soothing accompaniment of the crashing waves, exquisite dining places, tempting shopping opportunities and much more. Art lovers are captivated by vibrant art galleries, displaying Dale Chihuly glass and works of many world-known artists. The parks with an ocean view and the sunny beaches number more than a dozen, and they provide a lovely setting for outdoor play. The charming waterfront cafes are a pleasant way spend an afternoon in the city. Kirkland is a magnet for boutique lovers, outdoorsy types, and wine connoisseurs. The natural beauty of the place makes it hard to be forgotten. Downtown is the liveliest spot where the energy of the city can best be felt.
   
The founder of the city was the English businessman Peter Kirk who left his home country to chase his dream of making a great fortune. He was convinced that Kirkland was the ideal place to build a steel town to maintain a mill. By 1892 that mill was completed but later it had to closed before producing any steel due to the harsh financial crises that hit the entire country. Peter Kirk never witnessed his dream become a reality. The failure of the mill, however, didn't stop the economic development of the city - the main occupation of steel was quickly replaced by ship building and wool milling. The wool mill produced wool goods for the gold-diggers in the Alaska Gold Rush and the American troops fighting in the WWI .
   
The construction of the ferries laid the foundations of the ship building industry on the waterfront of Lake Washington. Lake Washington Shipyard in Kirkland served the needs of the U.S. Navy. Over 25 warships have been constructed there during WWII. Presently, this area carries the name Carillon Point, and is home to a sumptuous hotel and high-tech companies.
   
In the beginning of the 20th century, Kirkland was the Eastside's transportation center. The ferries transported working people and various goods. The lake ferries fell into decline by the opening of the Lake Washington Floating Bridge in 1940.
   
Currently, Kirkland is a vibrant community with a population of more than 80,000 people, with the only waterfront downtown in the area.
   
There are numerous historical buildings that are worth a visit. Old Kirkland on Market Street is a series of brick edifices, located in the commercial district, dating back to the end of the recent century. These edifices are reminders of the times when the city was founded, representing the hopes of the founders for big growth. These houses are half a mile away from the downtown; the initial idea was to assign Kirkland the role of  “Pittsburgh of the West”, not selling the land around the lake thus making it more valuable.
   
The Peter Kirk Building is the one and only preserved construction related to  Peter Kirk, the  founder of the city, whose office used to be on the second storey. The building was built in 189 and is an excellent example of Victorian-style architecture.
   
The Sears Building was meant to accommodate a bank which supposedly had to deal with the big amounts of payrolls connected to the functioning of the steel mill. The bank never opened doors. The building is named after Joshua Sears, a banker from Boston who invested a lot of money, in the land, the steel mill and the company.