ALKI HOMESTEAD HISTORY

· 1902 West Seattle is incorporated into Seattle.

· 1904 Fir Lodge (Alki Homestead) built.

· 1907 Alki incorporated into West Seattle.

· 1912 Reorientation of house front from North to East.

· 1961 kitchen added to the SW portion of the house..

· 1980 back patio added.

In 1904 Fir Lodge or Alki Homestead was built for Seattle Soap Company owner, William J. Bernard, his wife Gladys, and their daughter Marie. William and Gladys Bernard were well-known members of Seattle society in the 19th and 20thcenturies. William was a prominent manufacturer as he served as the president of the Seattle Soap Company and of the Manufacturer's Association. Gladys worked for children's charities throughout Seattle. The Bernard's frequently spent their summers vacationing at beach front camping resorts in the Alki area. In December of 1902, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer announced the Bernard's intention to build a log house. They continued the tradition of summer camping at Alki while the Fir Lodge was built. In 1903, the Bernard's hired Fred L. Fehren to construct Fir Lodge as their primary residence, fronting Alki Beach. They moved into the house by at least the spring of 1904.

The Alki neighborhood was the landing place and initial settlement of the first Euro-Americans to homestead the Seattle area. Most of those settlers quickly moved to Seattle proper and the eastern portion of the Duwamish Peninsula where there are deeper port facilities. Yet, with the settlement of the Denny party, Alki remained continuously occupied ever since.