Last week the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board announced they would consider nomination of the Wiggen & Sons Funeral Home (2003 NW 57th Street in Ballard).

Since 1973, the Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board has designated more than 450 individual sites, buildings, vehicles, vessels, and street clocks as landmarks. The marks are subject to protection by city ordinance.

In order to be designated a landmark there is criteria based on location, architecture, linkage to important people in history and/or historic influence on culture.

Indeed, the Wiggen name has an extended history in Seattle and Ballard.

According to the application, Olaf Wiggen, a native of Trondheim, Norway, first came to the United States in 1892 at the age of 17 and 10 years later ended up in Seattle.

Meanwhile, John “Jack” L. Pheasant came to Seattle from Wenatchee in 1912 and was employed as an apprentice at Graham & Engeman, an established funeral home and mortuary that had been operating in Ballard since the early 1900s.

Pheasant and Wiggen partnered to start Pheasant-Wiggen Mortuary in 1915.

The two partners built the building that resides on the corner of 22nd Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street, which used to be occupied by Sears and Roebuck.

In 1938, Pheasant died and Wiggen’s sons, Rolf and Carl, joined Wiggen’s son-in-law, Oliver Jacobson, and incorporated the company, Wiggen and Sons Mortuary.

In 1946 they opened at their current location at Northwest 57th Street and 20th Avenue Northwest.

Olaf Wiggen died in 1951, but the firm continued successful operation under his sons and son-in-law.. There were multiple changes to the site including an add-on structure in the 1960’s and a parking lot. The Wiggen family owned the business until Bonnie-Watson acquired it in 2000.

The Bonnie-Watson name extends in Seattle history even further than the Wiggen family. .

According to the Bonnie-Watson website, in 1861, Oliver C. Shorey and his wife, Mary Emeline Bonney moved to Seattle and started a cabinet carpentry business. Shorey was joined by A.P. DeLin in the business, and they were commissioned to carve the columns of University of Washington’s first building located in downtown Seattle.

The Bonnie-Watson site declares it as the oldest continually operating business in Seattle. They operate out of five Puget Sound locations, and are based at their Broadway Avenue facility on Capitol Hill

A copy of the Landmark Nomination is available for public review at the Ballard Branch Library. Read the rich history in the application here:
http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/preservation/documents/LPBCurrentN…

The public is invited to attend the meeting and make comments. The Landmarks Preservation Board should receive written comments by March 3 at 3:00 p.m.