| Starting
in 1913, with the arrival of the automobile, the
site had several auto related businesses over the
years. They included a Standard Oil Service Station,
Ed Welch's Columbia Garage and Bianchi¨s Rainier
Auto Parts.The
latter still in business in the next block to the
north. . In the 1920's the trend continued with
Haugen's Columbia Garage, Calpet Service Station
and a Texaco Service Station. The site is now the
Columbia City Branch of the Washington Federal Saving
& Loan.
On
the left in the background you can see just the
corner of the Nichols Flats, an apartment building
built by Ralph D. Nichols, an early day fuel dealer
in Rainier Valley. He was also Columbia City's
attorney and was drafted by the citizens to run
for the Seattle City Council. He won the election.
Nichols Flats is now referred to as the Angeline
Apartments.
Ralph
built a steam plant to heat the apartment. The
plant was located in a separate structure just
to the left of the apartment in a deep gully.
He not only used it to heat the apartment building
however. He ran a steam line that supplied heat
to the Masonic Lodge building that was located
across the alley just to the right of the Columbia
Laundry.
The
Nichols home was located across Rainier Avenue
from the Masonic Lodge. Their home, and one other
belonging to the Hart family, was on top of a
high knoll that was there at that time. He extended
his steam line under Rainier Avenue to supply
heat to the homes on the knoll. A long wooden
shed along Edmunds Street, just below the knoll,
was Nichols fuel yard. He also had a branch office
in Rainier Beach.
The
knoll was removed when Seafirst Bank building
and the Tradewell building, now the Columbia Plaza,
were built in 1952. The fuel yard site is now
the parking lot behind Seafirst Bank where the
Columbia City Farmer's Market is open every Wednesday
from 3 to 7PM.
|
