A History of West Woodland Elementary School
West Woodland shares its heritage with the surrounding neighborhood known as Phinney Ridge and the Woodland Park Zoo. In 1887, a wealthy lumber mill owner and real estate developer, Guy Carleton Phinney, purchased 430 acres of land for $10,000. Much of the land is commonly known today as the "Phinney Ridge" neighborhood. At the time, the land was fully wooded and access was limited.
An immigrant from Nova Scotia, Mr. Phinney built an estate which included European-influenced formal gardens, a lodge, a conservatory, gazebos, and the "Woodlands Hotel." He kept exotic animals in cages on the estate. The collection included bears, reindeer, and other wild creatures. He named his estate "Woodland Park." Mr. Phinney built a private trolley line to ferry guests and materials from Fremont to Woodland Park in 1890 and the line remained active until 1897. The Fremont entrance to the park was made from quarried granite. It is believe locally that the was stone salvaged from ship's ballast piles left in Ballard, and was commonly used to build foundations on early buildings in the area. Guy Phinney's private streetcar was nicknamed, the white elephant, because of its bold paint scheme.
Mr. Phinney was generous enough to open his property to the public and he posted a sign at the entrance with the following regulations:
| Read these Rules and Regulations
before entering WOODLAND PARK.
G. C. PHINNEY Source: Abstracted from an image in the University of Washington historical image archive. |
In 1893, Guy Phinney died at the age of 41. Much of his development of the estate was never completed. In 1899, his widow, Nellie Wright Phinney, offered the estate for sale to the city. In a controversial decision, the city council approved a resolution to buy the property for $100,000. This was thought to be a ridiculously high price for land that was considered remote and relatively inaccessible. The area remained heavily forested with native Douglas fir and cedar trees until 1900, when logging activity at Parker's mill on the East end of Green Lake began to take a serious toll on local old growth trees. Much of the area was platted by 1900, and many of the houses in the area date to the early 1900s.
It was not long thereafter that the Woodland Park Zoological Gardens opened. See image of a trained bear from 1906. Another picture of "Bosco," the dancing bear, performing tricks for the public. As early as 1913, the Woodland Park Zoo had a polar bear exhibit. The zoo acquired its first elephant, "wide awake," in 1922 from a local circus for $3,122. The zoo's first gorilla, "Bobo," was purchased for $5500 in 1953. As the popularity and reputation of the zoo grew, Giraffes and other exotic animals were gradually added.
In 1906 the rail line extended from downtown Fremont along Phinney Avenue to N. 50th. The increased access to the area led to a boom in development. In 1910 the Seattle-Everett Interurban traced its route along Phinney and Greenwood Avenues. Street surfaces along these lines were gradually paved with brick, concrete, or cobble stone. With paved streets, motor coaches and automobiles (a/k/a "horseless carriages") became more practical. The abundance of commuters in the area stimulated local commerce. In 1941, the Phinney streetcar line (route 21), was one of the last lines in Seattle to be eliminated, due to increased competition from motor coaches and automobiles.
Woodland Park and Green Lake have always been popular destinations for leisure activities. See image of children frolicking at Green Lake, circa 1894. Even in the early years, the park was a center for sport and recreation. See image of baseball game, circa 1910, and a local team photo of the "Gophers," from 1911. Boating and swimming were popular even in the early years of the park.
The first students to attend school at the site were first and second graders from five nearby schools who the portable extension school, known as the Ross School "annex." Wood planks covered the muddiest spots of the numerous wooded trails the children used to travel from home to school. Many students had to walk a mile or more over muddy trails and unpaved roads to get to school.
| As the school district struggled to add classrooms fast enough to accommodate the growing population, architects developed plans for buildings which could be easily expanded. West Woodland opened in 1910 with nine 1st through 8th grade classes which soon exceeded 40 students each. It replaced a portable school known as the Ross School annex. The new school was a welcome sight for youngsters who had been forced to walk to distant schools such as B.F. Day, Whittier, and the Allen School (now the Phinney Neighborhood Center). |
 West Woodland Elementary, circa 1928 |
Before the first addition could be completed in 1913, students were asked to voluntarily transfer to other nearby schools. Additions in 1913 and 1925 created a total of 25 classrooms. At 40 students per class, the district considered the capacity to be 1000 students. By 1930, West Woodland was the largest elementary school in Seattle.
In 1931, 8th graders from the West Woodland area began attending Monroe Junior High School. A day care was added during Word War II. Seventh graders made the transition to junior high school in 1945, leaving West Woodland as a K-6 school until 1989. Always one of the district's largest elementary schools, enrollment peaked at 1202 in the mid 1960s. By then the limited playground was completely covered with portable classrooms. Enrollment declined steadily as neighborhood demographics changed during the 1970's and 1980's. In 1989, West Woodland had approximately 650 K-6 students, with special programs for gifted students, special education students, and children learning English as a second language.
| Our "new era" began in 1989 when several changes occurred. Sixth graders throughout the district were moved to middle schools, our gifted classes were moved to another nearby school, and parents were given more choices of where their children could enroll. As part of the Seattle School District's commitment to upgrade or replace older buildings, our school was demolished, along with half a block of houses. Children were bused for two years to the now-vacant Monroe Middle School. Our new, smaller building, including a larger playground, was built on the original site. |
 West Woodland Elementary as it appears today. |
The new West Woodland opened in 1991, one of five new or remodeled buildings the district opened that year. Following the West Woodland tradition, we have been full since day one, although "full" now means 475 students in grades K to 5. Most recently, in 2005, enrollment numbers have been in the 300's, making West Woodland a relatively close-knit neighborhood school. We appreciate our grassy play field when Seattle rains don't turn it into a bog, as well as the other amenities of our newer building.
The Woodland Park is now widely regarded as one of the finest zoological attractions in the country. The zoo has continued its tradition of forward thinking by registering the domain name, Zoo.org, ahead of every other zoo in the World. West Woodland Elementary continues to have a strong partnership with the Woodland Park Zoo, as children from the school take multiple field trips each year.
References
- Special thanks to the University of Washington Digital Collections archive for bringing our history to life with their fantastic repository of images.
- History of the Woodland Park Zoo, hosted by the Woodland Park Zoo.
- History of Woodland Park hosted by City of Seattle Parks Department.
- History of Bobo the Gorilla at Historylink.org.
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