King County Landmarks: Harrington-Beall Greenhouse Company Historic District (ca. 1885-1989), Vashon, Vashon Island

  • By Heather MacIntosh
  • Posted 1/01/2000
  • HistoryLink.org Essay 2346
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Address: 18515-18606 Beall Road SW, Vashon, Vashon Island. This 23-acre district, located several miles southeast of Vashon's business center, is significant for its association with the development and growth of the horticultural industry in King County from 1888 to 1989, and for its contribution to the cultivation and preservation of orchids and roses. The complex has been a prominent Vashon Island commercial operation and employer since the establishment of the greenhouse company in 1888. During the plant's 101 years of business, it became the nation's largest grower of roses and an orchid establishment of international renown. The Vashon plant closed in the 1970s when operations were moved to Bogota, Columbia. The district contains 59 greenhouses representing 100 years of the evolution of greenhouse technology, and the power plant used to generate the heat for the greenhouses. Also within the district are the homes of Harrington and Beall family members, including the 1885 Hilen Harrington Log House, a 1892 Queen Anne style house built by the Harrington family, and the ca. 1898 Beall Family Home.

 

Sources: King County Landmarks and Heritage Commission.
Related Topics
Agriculture Buildings Business Landmarks
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