Another West Seattle 1962 view: The Mar-Lyn Motel

April 23, 2012 at 8:01 pm | In West Seattle history, West Seattle news | 17 Comments

(Click for larger image)
When Lynn Sweeney Pedersen accepted “Emerging Business of the Year” at last Wednesday’s West Seattle Chamber of Commerce Westsider Awards, for her family’s The Grove/West Seattle Inn (WSB coverage here), she noted its history – opened as the Mar-Lyn Motel 50 years ago for the Seattle World’s Fair. Today, The Grove shared this 50-year-old postcard view of the Mar-Lyn. While the motel’s configuration hasn’t changed much, if you look closely, you’ll see some fun details (phone booth, drink machine, cars)…

17 Comments

  1. Is the phone number still WEst-7-9920?

    Comment by JayDee — 8:05 pm April 23, 2012 #

  2. Love seeing these old pictures.

    Comment by west Seattle since 1979 — 8:20 pm April 23, 2012 #

  3. My 3rd grade class from Jefferson Elementary School took a field trip to the Mar-Lyn Motel in 1960 to see what a motel was I guess. Mrs. Norton was our teacher. So I kinda doubt that it was built for the fair.

    Comment by Dave — 8:45 pm April 23, 2012 #

  4. is that where they hid the totem pole?

    Comment by hmmm — 11:07 pm April 23, 2012 #

  5. Perhaps the configuration hasn’t changed, but the quitessential architectural details of the era are gone. A window, the stonework, the sign, even the tree. Too bad the remodel didn’t take it back to its true form.

    Comment by Claudia — 11:20 pm April 23, 2012 #

  6. Id like to see the old power poles of that era that lined 35th Ave as well.

    Comment by hele — 12:02 am April 24, 2012 #

  7. THAT’s easy – Seattle Municipal Archives are full of utility/public-works type photos:
    .
    http://clerk.seattle.gov/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?s1=35th+SW&S2=&S3=&l=100&Sect7=THUMBON&Sect6=HITOFF&Sect5=PHOT1&Sect4=AND&Sect3=PLURON&d=PHO2&p=1&u=%2F~public%2Fphot1.htm&r=11&f=G
    .
    http://clerk.seattle.gov/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?s1=35th+SW&S2=&S3=&l=100&Sect7=THUMBON&Sect6=HITOFF&Sect5=PHOT1&Sect4=AND&Sect3=PLURON&d=PHO2&p=1&u=%2F~public%2Fphot1.htm&r=1&f=G
    .
    here’s one closer to ’62, from 1959:
    .
    http://clerk.seattle.gov/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?s1=35th+SW&S2=&S3=&l=100&Sect7=THUMBON&Sect6=HITOFF&Sect5=PHOT1&Sect4=AND&Sect3=PLURON&d=PHO2&p=1&u=%2F~public%2Fphot1.htm&r=30&f=G
    .
    here’s one from 1958:
    .
    http://clerk.seattle.gov/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?s1=75892.NUM.&Sect6=HITOFF&Sect5=PHOT5&Sect4=AND&d=PHO2&l=1&p=1&u=/~public/phot1.htm&r=1&f=GG
    .
    (check the Shell sign!)
    .
    All I did was search the archives for “35th SW” …
    .
    TR

    Comment by WSB — 12:17 am April 24, 2012 #

  8. Thanks for the links TR. I’m a big fan of historic photos of our city, but I’m also a stickler for old utility pole pictures since I worked for a city electrical company in the midwest. Old habits just never die.

    Comment by hele — 12:39 am April 24, 2012 #

  9. Thanks for the mention because … it has just led me through an hour or so of wandering around and discovering another interesting West Seattle connection to the World’s Fair time (old news I’m sure to oldtimers but I’ve only been here 21 years) … complete with photos … and a link to something we covered last year … will put it all together tomorrow (er, later today) if there’s not much breaking news! – TR

    Comment by WSB — 1:02 am April 24, 2012 #

  10. Great photo, great weblinks. Thanks!

    Comment by Been There — 4:05 am April 24, 2012 #

  11. That’s a great picture!

    Comment by Maggie — 4:28 am April 24, 2012 #

  12. Three Ford products and one mid-fifties Packard. I think Packard went bust about 1956.

    Comment by Bill Bacon — 8:18 am April 24, 2012 #

  13. early 60′s ford Falcon 2dr and a 63 Mercury Comet convertable. Koolness!

    Comment by smokeycretin9 — 9:04 am April 24, 2012 #

  14. I want the drink machine BAD!

    Comment by Kayleigh — 9:11 am April 24, 2012 #

  15. I propose a new name for the Grove. Let’s call it
    Matt-Lyn after the owner’s first name. Great place to stay.

    Comment by Woodsman- Steve — 6:49 pm April 24, 2012 #

  16. JayDee, yes the number is the same.

    Comment by west Seattle since 1979 — 8:06 pm April 24, 2012 #

  17. Love it! More please!

    Comment by hey lady — 7:08 am April 26, 2012 #

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