Adams in Seattle in King County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Ballard Avenue Historic District
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Ballard City Hall Bell
Photographed by Kathy Ann Bugajsky, February 20, 2010
1. Ballard Avenue Historic District Marker
Multiple plaques on and near the Ballard Centennial Bell identify the Ballard Avenue Historic District.
Marker 1:
Be it remembered that at this place on the eleventh day of April, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy Six, the Ballard Avenue Landmark District was officially designed by a city ordinance signed by Wesley C. Uhlman, Mayor of the City of Seattle and through the proclamation of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, created in the bicentennial spirit of preserving the best of past traditions for the enlightenment of future generations.
Marker 2:
Under the provisions of the National
Historic Preservation Act of
October 16, 1966, this property
possesses exceptional value in
commemorating or illustrating
American history
Placed on the National Register on
July 1, 1976 by the National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington State Parks
and Recreation Committee
Marker 3:
this page online
The 1,000 pound brass bell has now been refurbished and returned to the Ballard community after an absence of nearly 40 years. On April 11, 1976, Swedens King Carl Gustaf XVI and Seattles mayor Wes Uhlman rang the bell to formally announce the creation of the Ballard Avenue Historic District and the resurgence of community interest in its historic past. The bell now hangs in this monument at the corner of 22nd Avenue Northwest and Ballard Avenue, the former site of the Ballard City Hall.
Erected 1976. (Marker Number 103.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Landmarks. In addition, it is included in the Historic Bells, and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is April 11, 1976.
Location. 47° 40.071′ N, 122° 23.094′ W. Marker is in Seattle, Washington, in King County. It is in Adams. It is at the intersection of 22nd Ave. NW and Ballard Ave. NW on 22nd Ave. NW. Located in Marvin's Garden. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 22nd Ave NW and Ballard Ave NW, Seattle WA 98107, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Washington’s Puget Sound Region. It is also on the American Pacific Coast, in the Pacific Northwest, and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, in the Cascade Range, in the Inside Passage, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers.
Photographed by Kathy Ann Bugajsky, February 20, 2010
2. Ballard Avenue Historic District Marker
More about this marker. The location, 22nd Avenue Northwest and Ballard Avenue Northwest, is where the Ballard City Hall once stood. It's now known as Marvin's Garden, a tiny park named after Marvin Sjoberg, a local character who died in 1989. While Marvin Sjoberg never showed up on any election ballot, he was vested with the honorary title of "Mayor of Ballard" sometime in the 1950s or 1960s. Somewhere in this tiny triangular splinter of a park was once a bronze plaque proclaiming: "Dedicated in honor of Marvin Sjoberg, Mayor of Ballard, April 4, 1975."
Also see . . . National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form (1976). Statement of Significance:
Ballard Avenue(Submitted on March 5, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)Historic District is significant to the City of Seattle as a well-preserved commercial section of an historic neighborhood community. Homesteaded as early as 1853, platted and promoted by the West Coast Improvement Company 1887-1889, and incorporated as a municipality in 1890, Ballard was one of the largest and most successful townsite developments which surrounded Seattle in early days. The key to Ballard's initial success was its juxtaposition to a hinterland of timber resources and its ready access to world markets via railroad and Puget Sound. Townsite proprietors, headed by Captain William R. Ballard, encouraged the siting of lumber mills on company land along Salmon Bay. By 1895, Ballard was one of the largest shingle-manufacturing centers in the world.Photographed by Kathy Ann Bugajsky, February 20, 20103. Ballard City Hall Bell Marker
Buildings along Ballard's historic main street date from two major periodsof growth between 1890 and 1930. The four-block Ballard Avenue Landmark District is the first such district to be created by the City of Seattle outside of Pioneer Square in the downtown core.
Photographed by Kathy Ann Bugajsky, February 20, 2010
4. Ballard Avenue Historic District Marker
Photographed by Kathy Ann Bugajsky, February 20, 2010
5. Inlaid compass in the floor of the bell tower
Photographed by Kathy Ann Bugajsky, February 20, 2010
6. Ballard Avenue Historic District Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 21, 2010, by Kathy Ann Bugajsky of Seattle, Washington. This page has been viewed 3,747 times since then and 102 times this year. Last updated on March 10, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 21, 2010, by Kathy Ann Bugajsky of Seattle, Washington. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
