The Seattle Architecture Foundation is offering two free Ballard Tours tour on May 4 at 10 am and 11 am, as part of Sights of Seattle, a weekend of free tours to get people to learn about the past, present and future of our city and neighborhoods using architecture as a lens.

The tour will also be part of our regular schedule from June – October.

More about the tour:
From salmon fishing to oysters on the half-shell; from lumber barons to celebrity chefs; and from beer halls to craft cocktails, Ballard has evolved from a gritty Scandinavian town of fishermen and mill workers to a vibrant urban village of upscale restaurants, music venues, and residential developments. Learn how the emergence of the automobile and shifting tastes toward wider boulevards saved old-town Ballard Avenue — a snapshot of small-town commercial architecture from the 1890s through the 1940s. See Ballard move further into the future, as you learn about Ballard’s master plan and view how the plan is playing out in modern civic and private development