In 1920, the 430 acres which is now to the north of East Madison St. and just west of Madison Park was divided into two and the eastern 230 acres was developed into what is now the Broadmoor neighborhood and golf and country club and the western 200 acres was given to the city who developed a park and arboretum on the site.  The park was originally designed by James Dawson of the Olmsted Brothers firm who were a famous landscaping firm from Boston who at the time were brought in to design a lot of the parks in the area.  The Washington Park Arboretum displays over 20,000 trees, shrubs and vines, more than 10,000 of which are catalogued in collections and some are on the endangered species list.  You will find plants from all over the world many of which were collected in the wild including pine, spruce, cedar, fir, magnolia, Japanese Maple, rhododendron, azalea and several others.  Admission is free, the park is open from dawn to dusk and the Graham Visitors Center is open form 10am to 4pm seven days a week.
The Washington Park’s mission statement is:
“The Washington Park Arboretum is a living plant museum emphasizing trees and shrubs hardy in the maritime Pacific Northwest.  Collections are selected and arranged to display their beauty and function in urban landscapes, to demonstrate their natural ecology and diversity, and to conserve important species and cultivated varieties for the future.  The Arboretum serves the public, students at all levels, naturalists, gardeners, and nursery and landscape professionals with its collections, educational programs, interpretations, and recreational opportunities.”
Lake Washington Blvd. runs through the Arboretum and runs parallel to Arboretum creek which is within the park in its entirety.  At the south end of the park where Lk. Washington Blvd meets East Madison Street there is a ball park/playfield called the Washington Park Playfields.

Broadmoor is a prestigious gated golf course community of elegant, mostly mature and well kept homes bordered by the wonderful Washington Park and Madison Park communities as well as the Washington Park Arboretum.  Privacy and seclusion yet the convenience of living in the city; Broadmoor is the perfect place to call home!  Children outside playing and riding bikes is common with the added level of security in this close nit community securely monitored by security guards at both the front and back entrances.  There is a delightful mix of all ages in this well established neighborhood!      
Broadmoor was founded by E. G. Ames, Grosvenor Folsom and George W. Johnson in 1924.  Ames was the general manager of Puget Mill Company who owned the land and they decided to develop the Pacific Northwest’s first country club development.  115 acres was dedicated to a golf course and 85 acres to residences.
A. Vernon “Mac” Macan, the leading golf course architect of the time was instructed to spare no expense when designing this ‘state of the art’ golf course community.     
The mission of the Broadmoor Golf Club, is to be a premier private golf club providing an exceptional golf experience. Broadmoor features an impeccably maintained urban golf course that is supported by unparalleled facilities and services and is comprised of an active and distinctive membership that honors golf’s rich tradition and values.
The country club’s opening day was April 16, 1927 and was a celebratory day of fun events for both the men and women members including a luncheon and tea.  At this time there was a temporary building but plans were well underway for the elegant club house which opened about a year later.
The club has continued to grow and is still owned by its members; a non profit organization.

Perched on the hillside with winding and tree lined streets, also known at “The Peaceable Kingdom”, Madrona is a wonderfully diverse neighborhood overlooking Lake Washington and situated between the Denny-Blaine neighborhood to the north and the Leschi neighborhood to the south.  Spanning from Lake Washington to the east to Martin Luther King Jr. Way to the west, Madrona is mostly residential with a charming commercial district offering several restaurants, businesses and shops.  The popular Hi-Spot Café is a favorite brunch Spot, or grab a scrumptious Cupcake Royale and a perfectly smooth latte’ at the Ve’rite’ Coffee house where eclectic tunes and friendly smiles are sure to brighten up your morning or day!  Madrona provides many dining options from Casual American fare at St. Clouds where you can enjoy live music to Cremant, a cozy French Bistro.  Click to view a list of restaurants or shops in Madrona.  Be sure not to miss the Spectrum Dance Theater located at 800 Lake Washington Blvd at the south end of Madrona park and the north end of the beach!
The neighborhood was platted as the Cascade Addition in 1889 and the Lakefront community began to draw tourists and visitors to its beachside park.  The first neighborhood school was the barn of the Randell family who built their homestead on Madrona’s highest point (near today’s 34th and Union) in 1890.  What became known as the Randell Additions later became the core of Madrona hill properties.  During that same time a lead company and some others introduced a more elaborate park and an electric trolley line that traveled north from what is now 34th and Union to Howell where it headed east and descended through the forest down to the park.  In 1908 the city of Seattle purchased the private trolley line. 
The park was named after the ubiquitous Madrona (arbutus) trees in the area by John Ayer, a partner in the land company who also contributed a parcel of land for the park.  The partners devised a plan to make the area even more attractive to buyers by developing a community boat dock, dance pavilion, hotel, Japanese tea house, bath houses, wooden swings, rustic benches, walking paths, bridges and shelters along the lake and throughout the hillside.  All of this development prompted the city to recommend consideration for a boulevard along Lake Washington from Yesler northward which would include Madrona beach and park. 
The neighborhood attracted a diverse group of buyers and homes were built on a large scale from grand to working class residences in the early 1900’s.  “Great Homes” boasted glorious lake views from atop the hill on 35th Avenue and smaller scale but also lovely homes were built along the hillside and above the shoreline.  Madrona is a well-established neighborhood close to downtown with a strong sense of community and a diverse demographic.

One of the highest hills in Seattle, Queen Anne was named after the ‘Queen Anne’ style mansions that peppered the hill by 1885.  With an elevation of 456 feet the hill boasts astounding city and mountain views, never-ending views of Puget Sound and to the east, Lake Union.  Queen Anne typically refers to the upper part of the hill while locals call the southern bottom section ‘Lower Queen Anne’ also known as ‘Uptown’.  The steep climb of Queen Anne Avenue takes you to a bustling commercial district of trendy restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques and markets.  You can find just about anything you can think of along Queen Anne Avenue on the top of the hill.  The commercial district is surrounded by residential streets of an eclectic mix of modern and historic homes many of which offer breathtaking views.  With convenient city living, upscale shops, restaurants and neighborhood feel, Queen Anne is one of Seattle’s most popular neighborhoods.
Perfectly perched on the southern slope with unparalleled city, mountain and Puget Sound views is Kerry Park which was donated to the City in 1927 by Mr. and Mrs. Albert Sperry Kerry, Sr., “so that all who stop here may enjoy this view.”
On the northern slope and on the verge of Fremont is the beautiful campus of Seattle Pacific University, a Christian university just minutes from downtown.     
Home to the World’s Fair in 1962 Lower Queen Anne or ‘Uptown’ houses what is now the Seattle Center with the Space Needle, Pacific Science Center, Experience Music Project, Key Arena and McCaw Hall.  The area offers a wide variety of restaurants and bars due to its proximity to the many events that take place at the Seattle Center.  While not as residential as upper Queen Anne, uptown offers many Condominium homes which are convenient to all!