This history of Webster School is taken from the second edition of Building for Learning: Seattle Public School Histories, which includes histories of every school building used by the district since its formation around 1862. The original essay was written for the 2002 first edition by Nile Thompson and Carolyn J. Marr, and updated for the 2024 edition by HistoryLink contributor Ryan Anthony Donaldson.
Busy Ballard
During the early 1900s, Ballard’s population grew at a rapid pace, and temporary buildings were pressed into service for classroom use by Ballard School District No. 50. One of these temporary locations, called Bay View, began with two portables facing what is now NW 68th Street, and later expanded to include two more portables facing NW 69th. A small building to the west of the portables served as the principal’s office.
In 1904, the Ferry Street School was opened by the Ballard School District as an annex to Bay View on the west side of Ferry Street (25th Avenue NW) between the present-day NW 67th Street and NW 70th. The two portables that made up the Ferry Street School are said to have been converted into private residences after it closed. The North Street School, opened in about 1905 on the southwest corner of North Street (NW 64th Street) and present-day 22nd Avenue NW, was also a school in that neighborhood.
When Ballard was annexed into the City of Seattle, the plans and contract for a permanent Bay View School structure were in place. The Seattle School Board reviewed and accepted the plans and began construction. Prior to completion, the school population increased so much that more classrooms were needed. The Methodist Church directly south, across present NW 67th Street, provided additional space. The new building was built on the block between old Bay View and the church. Although the Ballard School Board had used the name Olympic School, the school opened as Bay View. On opening day in January 1908, students from old Bay View and nearby Ferry Street School marched over to the new building with their books in hand. The North Street school was also closed after the new Bay View School opened.
Renamed for Daniel Webster
In March 1908, the school was renamed after Daniel Webster, American statesman and renowned orator. It is said that the name was changed to help ease the rivalry between the former Bay View and Ferry students. When the school reopened the following fall, it was filled to the brim and one of the portables, then called the Webster School Annex, had to be used. Webster School maintained a steady enrollment of 400-500 pupils through the 1920s. In 1930, an addition gave the building four more classrooms, a large auditorium, a gymnasium, and a play court. The school served eight grades until 1931, when Monroe Junior High School opened. In 1957, a kindergarten room was constructed on the ground floor in space previously not used for classes. In 1968, a team-teaching station was added.
Webster closed in 1979. For a short period of time, the building was rented to a motion-picture producer. Near the end of the rental period, a fire caused considerable damage to the roof and other parts of the structure. At this time, a group representing the city’s Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Finnish, and Swedish communities leased the site for a museum. The Pacific Nordic Council received credit for repairs and improvements made to the damaged building. The Nordic Heritage Museum opened in April 1980, and has attracted thousands of visitors from around the world each year. In 2015, the Webster building was designated a City of Seattle Landmark. The museum relocated to a new expanded site in 2018.
Funded by a capital levy, the Webster building was modernized over the following two years with a 7,700-square-foot addition that included a new gym, a new entrance, and seismic improvements to the landmarked building. The project was designed by TCF Architecture. Licton Springs K-8 School relocated from Eagle Staff to Webster and the school opened on April 8, 2021.
The Licton Springs K-8 program began as Alternative School #1 in 1970. When the name changed to Licton Springs K-8 in 2013, the school came together with Native community organizations to build a partnership that combined Native-emphasizing programming with experience-based, multicultural, social justice education. The move to Webster was the eighth move for this program.
History
Bay View School
Location: 7th Avenue and New York (30th Avenue NW and NW 67th Street)
Building: Two portables
Site: n.a.
1903: Opened by Ballard School District
n.a.: Two portables added
1907: Annexed into Seattle School District
1908: Closed in January; most portables sold and converted into private residences
1908-09: One portable in use as Webster Annex
1911: Leased to Ballard Presbyterian Church for mission Sunday school
n.a.: Site sold
Ferry Street School
Location: Ferry Street & NW 67th Street/ NW 70th Street (25th Avenue NW and NW 67th/NW 70th)
Building: Two portables
Site: n.a.
1904: Opened as annex to Bay View
1908: Annex closed
Bay View School
Location: 3014 NW 67th Street
Building: 2-story, 14-room brick
Architect: Frederick Sexton
Site: 1.83 acres
1908: Opened in January; renamed Webster on March 27
1930: Addition (Floyd A. Naramore); site expanded to 2.4 acres
1979: Closed; leased to the Pacific Nordic Council
1980: Nordic Heritage Museum opened
2015: Designated City of Seattle landmark
2018: Museum relocated
2019: Construction began
2021: School opened in April; Licton Springs K-8 program relocated from Eagle Staff; Modernization and addition (TCF Architecture; BTA IV)
Licton Springs K-8 School at Webster in 2023
Enrollment: 132
Address: 3015 NW 68th Street
Configuration: K-8
Nickname: Thunderbirds
Colors: Black and red
