Birth of the Business District

Birth of the Business District. . , In the late 1800s and the first decade of the 1900s, this was the corner of a 10-acre park extending from People's Dock to today's Pioneer Way. It had rustic tables, an outdoor dance floor, and a mineral water spring. It was a place for picnics under shady trees, baseball games, and other community activities. By the 1910s, the park was giving way to new construction, much of which remains to this day., The Memorial Presbyterian Church was built in 1913 on land donated by a local family, the Gustafsons. In the 1920s, a bank and electric company established businesses on the block., In 1925, two hotels were constructed on this corner, each dedicated to serving harbor visitors, providing rooms, meals, and other services. On one side of the street, the Peninsula Hotel featured a wide staircase leading to the spacious second floor lobby and eight rooms. On the first floor were four retail shops. The basement served as a pool hall. Across the street was the Novak Building with its hotel. After the Narrows Bridge opened, the buildings remained but the hotel operations gave way to other businesses., [Photo captions, top to bottom, read] , . Novak Building and McIntyre Gas Station, . Picnic at town park above People's Dock, 1903, . Peninsula Hotel, mid 1930s