Nestled in the heart of the Maple Leaf neighborhood, off 15th Avenue Northeast, just north of Lake City Way Northeast, is a stately building guarded by a forest of beautifully matured trees. Morning sunlight barely finds its way though the lush, green canopy, often creating waves of dancing sun sprinkles across the earthy ground. The air around this place feels crisp, and it is a spot famous locally for eagle sightings.
This is the home of Waldo Hospital, as it has been for the past 80 years.
AN OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT
Originally built in 1924 as one of the first osteopathic hospitals in the state and one of the largest at 1.6 acres, it has spent most of its recent decades housing nonprofit groups.
"The Waldo Hospital was here before our community was," said David Miller, a member of the Maple Leaf Community Council executive board. "We literally grew up around it."
Camp Fire Puget Sound, the nonprofit girls and boys group, has called the hospital home since 1967, using it as its administrative office. A year ago it was announced in a KING-TV news story that the property had been sold to a developer.
"Although Camp Fire purchased the site 40 years ago, we can no longer afford to remain," said Leslie Rice, the chairperson for the Camp Fire Puget Sound Council board of directors. "The facility is old and has been creatively used past its lifespan."
The historic hospital will be torn down and many of those 80-year-old trees will fall along with it. In exchange, the property will be reconstructed to accommodate nearly 40 homes and townhouses, according to the developer's plans.
Camp Fire said it contacted the community about the sale of this property. According to Miller, Camp Fire rejected offers from the Maple Leaf Community Council to help raise money to renovate the building or possibly search for a buyer whom, he said, would respect the site's unique character.
He, along with many concerned community members, put in hundreds of volunteer hours in an attempt to save the hospital from the wrecking ball. This included a petition with more than 1,000 signatures.
Most visibly, there's been a truck parked in various neighborhood spots with a large "Save Waldo" banner posted on its side.
Community members who wanted to save the property then dove into the books and uncovered a piece of Seattle's history.
TRYING FOR LANDMARK STATUS
The hospital was created from the mind of Dr. William Earl Waldo, renown for his skill in osteopathy not only within Seattle but nationally, as well. Known as the president of many osteopathic associations, Waldo was also a local activist providing care to patients who could not afford it and acting as a team physician for many student athletes. And, finally, he also delivered more than 2,400 babies in North Seattle.
With all of this rich history as backdrop, a hearing took place July 20 in front of the Seattle Landmark Preservation Board to decide if Waldo Hospital should be designated as a historic Seattle landmark. Although the Washington Historic Trust placed the Waldo Hospital on the Most Endangered Historic Properties list last May, the board decided against granting the hospital landmark status.
"We're obviously disappointed in this Landmark Board's vote," said Janice Camp, president of the Maple Leaf Community Council. "I am really proud of the volunteers in our community who put in hundreds of hours of work to remind Seattleites of what a great and important man Dr. Waldo was."
Although the denied landmark stamp was a setback in the fight to save Waldo, the battle is far from over.
"Our plans all along have been to positively affect the site," Miller said. "We even have sketched plans of the proposed development drafted in a way to try to save and preserve most of the trees."
Locals have been referring to them as "Waldo's forest." His forest contains more than 80 fully mature trees. Two of them are more than 100 feet tall, and many are over 2 feet in diameter. Various organizations, such as the Seattle Audubon Society and the Sierra Club, have written letters to urge their preservation and stress the importance of the trees.
"I always end my morning runs here," said Maple Leaf resident Betty Anderson. "These trees are amazing and perfect for me to walk through as I try to cool off. I can't imagine anyone trying to tear this down."
A LEGACY VS. A BUILDING
Waldo's granddaughter Nancy Waldo Smith does not support the battle to save the building her grandfather created. In a recent Seattle Times article she said that they should go ahead and tear the building down.
"I think they've co-opted my grandfather's story just to try to stop development," Smith said in the article. "Of course, I think he was a wonderful man; his legacy is important. But his stature alone is not enough to keep this old building around."
Miller insists that the fight to save Waldo Hospital has nothing to do with stopping development, but the ability to find some sort of tradeoff. In a perfect world, its supporters would like to preserve as much of the site as possible, Miller said.
"We would be very upset not to see the forest saved," he said. "We'll work through it."
For more information about the site visit www.savewaldo.org.[[In-content Ad]]
