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LANDMARK RESTAURANTS – Alki Beach, Seattle History
The Seattle landmark restaurant Salty’s on Alki Beach is near the
location that is known as the birthplace of Seattle. The building on piers
that houses Salty’s on Alki was originally constructed as the Novelty
Flour Mill a very long time ago in 1893. It ground out “Excellent
Flour” for many decades. The area was known as the West Side and
had entertainment everywhere with sports, parks, clubs, festivals and
a nationally distinctive roller-skating rink. The pursuit of amusement
centered around Luna Park, a combination swimming palace and carnival
which opened in June of 1907. This 12-acre amusement center was set on
pilings just north of Duwamish Head, where a small newly opened waterfront
park currently commemorates its location. The historically famous and
significant Luna Park was a seaside pleasure resort with a large saltwater
natatorium (swimming center) with several tanks, a skating rink and a
dance pavilion. The carnival attractions of Luna park closed in 1913 but
the saltwater natatorium stayed in business for many years afterwards.
Local history books tell us the area had a bad year in 1956, in the middle
of an otherwise promising decade, and the Novelty Flour Mill ground to
a halt. It was the West Side’s oldest industry at the time. You
can find out more about West Seattle history at www.loghousemuseum.org.
If you love history, plan a visit to the Log House Museum when you’re
in the West Seattle area. It’s located only a few miles from Salty’s
Restaurant.
Before Gerry and Kathy Kingen bought the waterfront property from Joyce
Entus in 1985, it had been operating for many years as a locals’
favorite seafood grill called the Beach Broiler. After extensive remodeling,
the Kingens reopened it in December of 1985 as the third Salty’s
Restaurant, the flagship of the group. This Salty’s ranks in the
nation’s top 100 restaurants in Restaurants
& Institutions magazine.
