Northeast Seattle in King County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
The Old Shell House
Photographed by Lee C, July 13, 2019
1. The Old Shell House Marker
Gordan Adam George “Shorty” Hunt Roger Morris Chuck Day Jim “Stub” McMillin Joe Rantz Don Hume Bob Moch John White Jr.
George Pocock, master shell builder, maintained a shop and practiced his craft in a loft at the rear of the building from 1922 to 1949.
Erected 2016 by UW Alumni Association. Plaque donated by Daniel James Brown, author of “The Boys In the Boat.” National Register of Historic Places #75001856.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Sports. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list.
Location. 47° 38.869′ N, 122° 18.005′ W. Marker is in Seattle, Washington, in King County.
this page online
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. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 1890 Seattle Fire Department Bell (approx. 0.2 miles away); Naval Training Station Seattle (approx. 0.4 miles away); Seattle Yacht Club - Main Station (approx. 0.4 miles away); Turn of the Century Anchor (approx. half a mile away); Honoring the 11 Mercer Girls (approx. 0.6 miles away); Scion of the Washington Elm (approx. 0.7 miles away);
Photographed by Lee C, July 13, 2019
2. The Old Shell House
Original Seaplane Hangar Doors
Another marker is no longer nearby. Statue of Washington (was approx. Ύ mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Regarding The Old Shell House. This building is the only remaining WWI-era, US Navy, all-wood, seaplane hangar left in the world. Built in 1918, the war ended just a few months after it's completion. It was turned over to the University of Washington which quickly recognized its value as a shell house for the rowing team.
In 1922, George Pocock, the premier builder of collegiate rowing shells, set up shop in this hangar and constructed shells there until 1949. After 1949, the building would become the universitys “Canoe House” where students could rent canoes, kayaks, and row boats. Over the last few years it has served as a boat storage facility.
Also see . . .
1. Shell House History. University of Washington entry (Submitted on June 29, 2019, by Lee C of Orting, Washington.)
2. ASUW Shell House (1918).
Photographed by Lee C, July 13, 2019
3. The Old Shell House Interior
3. Commemorating the Canoe House. University of Washington entry (Submitted on June 29, 2019, by Lee C of Orting, Washington.)
4. Century-old ASUW Shell House is where the Boys in the Boat became a team. University of Washington Magazine entry (Submitted on August 18, 2019, by Lee C of Orting, Washington.)
5. Cathedral on the Cut filled with history and meaning. University of Washington Magazine entry (Submitted on August 18, 2019, by Lee C of Orting, Washington.)
6. Saving the Home of "The Boys in the Boat" and Men in the Ships. My Northwest entry, includes radio podcast. (Submitted on September 11, 2019, by Lee C of Orting, Washington.)
7. National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form. Statement of Significance (1975)
Constructed by the U.S. Navy as a seaplane hangar in 1918, the Canoe House is significant to the state as a rare, if not unique example of an architectural type developed in the early years of aviation. Because the airplane hangar was a response to new(Submitted on March 2, 2026, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)technology, its efficient form was essentially without historical precedent. No other examples of the hangar type dating from the period of the First World War are known in Washington. (A dirigible hangar at Fort Worden on the Olympic Peninsula dating from ca. 1922-1923 has an iron or steel frame with corrugated metal cladding. The oldest hangar at Paine Field south of Everett is reported to have been constructed in 1942.) Moreover, no other early hangars are known to have survived in the vicinity of Seattle, which has figured prominently in aviation history since the founding of the Boeing Company in 1916.Photographed by Lee C, July 13, 20194. George Pocock's shell-building shop
Additional keywords. Rowing Seaplanes
Credits. This page was last revised on March 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 28, 2019, by Lee C of Orting, Washington. This page has been viewed 1,194 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 29, 2019, by Lee C of Orting, Washington. 3, 4. submitted on July 14, 2019, by Lee C of Orting, Washington. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.
