Welcome back, neighbors! We’re continuing our Stone Way adventure, and this time we’re climbing that first little hill from 34th to 35th Street. It’s just one block, but wow – what a story this stretch tells about old Fremont meeting new Fremont.
Meet Corliss P. Stone – Our Street’s Namesake
Before we start walking, let’s chat more about Corliss P. Stone – the guy whose name we see every day on street signs. His story is as colorful as Fremont itself. In 1873, while serving as mayor, Stone abruptly left Seattle. The scandal rocked early Seattle. While newspapers of the day spread some pretty wild rumors about his departure, he actually returned to Seattle in 1878 and became one of the city’s most successful real estate developers. He put his name on plats in Fremont, Wallingford, and beyond. The irony? His reputation as both a scoundrel and a visionary fits right in with Fremont’s tradition of quirks and reinvention.
3409 Stone Way N – Stoneway Court
Right here you’ll find Stoneway Court, built back in 1953 when things were a lot simpler around here. It’s got this wonderful mix of businesses that just feels so Fremont: Resilient Hearts Animal Sanctuary, a good old-fashioned laundromat called Clean Express, and I Love Teriyaki. Check out this review of their teriyaki from New York Times best-selling author and chef, Kenji Lopez-Alt! The whole mid-century strip mall structure has a small parking lot, and here’s a fun fact: there used to be a gas station where these businesses are now.
3415 Stone Way N – Interconnection
Next door, you’ve got a no-nonsense, utilitarian commercial structure from 1979 – the long time Fremonsters, Braida Fremont, owns it – and it’s home to InterConnection. These folks are doing something pretty fantastic: taking all that old electronics stuff we don’t know what to do with and either fixing it up for people who need it or recycling it responsibly. It’s the kind of neighborhood nonprofit that makes you feel good about living here.
3425 Stone Way N – Bicycle Shops
This one-story building from 1925 has quite the family story! It’s another piece of the Braida family legacy and currently houses two bike shops: Davidson Custom Bicycles and Mischief Bicycles. Davidson, a master custom titanium builder, has been a cornerstone of Seattle’s bike culture for nearly 50 years. Mischief Bikes grew right out of its workshop, started by an orthopedist who apprenticed with Davidson, and now carries on the same artistry and precision born here on Stone Way.
But here’s the really cool part… this building started life as the Washington Mantel Company, where they made stone, brick, and tile work. And get this: it was owned by the Braidas, who were amazing mosaic and terrazzo artisans. They didn’t just work here; they lived just behind the factory at 3408 Woodland Park Ave N in an elevated house where the bottom floor was their workshop and the family lived upstairs. (The home, still owned by the Braidas, is landmarked and stands as one of the few historic houses left in Fremont.)
The Braidas had a gorgeous garden filled with decorative concrete ornaments, including – wait for it – a life-size elephant sculpture that became famous with folks riding the streetcar. Everyone knew that elephant! In 1946, they sold it to Aurora Flower Shop, and if you’ve ever driven up Highway 99, you might have spotted it still hanging out on top of the Aurora Rents building, still making people smile after all these years.
3400 Stone Way N – Stone 34
Cross the street and you’re looking at Stone 34 – this shiny five-story building that went up in 2013 and really changed the game for this corner. UPG Stone 34 did quite the job here. You’ve got the Brooks Trailhead Store and corporate headquarters offices, Endodontic Solutions, Hushy’s Sandwiches, and Purple Café & Wine Bar. There’s even underground parking, which can be kind of spendy though.
Don’t miss The Medalist while you’re here. It’s a 11-foot sculpture made entirely from donated running medals. A pretty cool way to celebrate all the runners and athletes in our community, right? The bike racks are rad too – aptly called the RainCloud Bike Racks – and provide an artistic spin on a practical feature of the property.
Here’s a fun thing to try: pull up Google Maps on your phone, drop into Street View right at this spot, then click that little clock icon and roll back to 2007. You’ll be amazed, it used to be nothing but parking lots and one story buildings.
Two Eras, One Block
What’s beautiful about this little stretch is how it tells Fremont’s whole story in just a few building facades. On one side, you’ve got these practical, working-class buildings from the mid-1900s housing nonprofits, bike shops, and everyday services. On the other side, there’s this sleek modern development with corporate offices, a fancy store, and upscale dining.
It’s kind of perfect that it all sits on a street named after an ambitious mayor who helped shape this neighborhood’s beginning. Corliss P. Stone probably never imagined teriyaki shops and custom bike builders, but he’d probably appreciate how his street keeps evolving while staying true to Fremont’s spirit.
Next Up: N 35th to N 36th
We’ll keep walking north next time, where the Pacific Inn Pub anchors memories and shiny eateries create new ones.
Thanks to Valarie Bunn for her wonderful Fremont history research that makes stories like these possible!
Update: Thanks to Valarie for catching the error about C.P. Stone leaving town with all of the business’s money and leaving his partner to pay the debts. A more in depth look is at https://www.historylink.org/File/197.