Post by Restorical Research LLC

Located on the north end of Lake Union adjacent to the University of Washington campus is a brownfield site turned functional park. This site was originally home to a lumber mill owned by Puget Sound Box & Lumber Co. until it was purchased by Jerry Bryant in 1947. Bryant's Marina became the Evinrude outboard motor franchise distributor of the NW and expanded operations to build boats for the Navy. By 1960 the Marina employed 165 people. By 1970 UW acquired Bryant Marina and the neighboring Timmerman Marina to serve academic needs as well as equipment storage for University Police. In 2014 the City of Seattle acquired the property from UW, eventually redeveloping the property into the Fritz Hedges Waterway Park which opened in October 2020. With 90+ years of industrial use, the site was contaminated with heavy metals in sediments to petroleum products in the soils and groundwater. Restorical Research LLC was able to locate several historical insurance policies and working with expert legal counsel, obtain funding for the cleanup that helped transform this site. In cities across America, there are sites just like this. Sites that served a great purpose in the Industrial and Manufacturing record only to be left polluted. Most of these properties can benefit from old insurance policies, applied correctly, to empower communities and redevelop brownfield sites for a new lease on life. #restoricalresearch #brownfields #marinas