Blog Posts

Historic Wallingford announces a new virtual exhibit about Animal Storm, a beloved community sculpture at the southeast corner of N. 45th St. and Wallingford Ave. N. The exhibit featuring vintage photos, videos, and clippings, is available to the public via this link: HistoricWallingford.org/animalstorm/

Dedicated in 1985, Animal Storm is one of the Wallingford neighborhood’s iconic outdoor public art installations. On the eve of Animal Storm’s 40th anniversary, Historic Wallingford has partnered with sculptor Ronald Petty to commemorate this neighborhood treasure. Ron and his wife Marjan generously provided personal recollections, photographs, clippings, and videos about Animal Storm to share with the community. Historic Wallingford has curated the material for this virtual exhibit that also includes a recent interview with Ron about Animal Storm.

Other Animal Storm commemorations include a forthcoming shout-out in the Seattle Times’ Pacific Northwest Magazine and a celebration at Wallingford’s annual parade on July 12 that honors the sculpture with its “Wild in Wallingford” theme.

The Wallingford Beautification team is excited to announce that the new utility box art will be installed along N 45th Street in early December. Please join us on Saturday, December 14 at Wallingford Center for family-friendly activities and light refreshments as we celebrate the new utility box art!

Funding for this project has been provided by the Neighborhood Matching Fund from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. We also thank 4Culture for their ongoing support.

When:    Saturday, April 20
Time:     10 AM to 1 PM
Where:  45th & Wallingford, SE corner

This year’s Wallingford Earth Day cleanup is organized by volunteers Will Vagle and Michael Dewar. Historic Wallingford is pleased to join them and spread the word!

Since 2022, with the support of Wallingford Community Council, Historic Wallingford, and the City of Seattle, volunteers have led this effort to bring the community together to pick up litter and coordinate trash removal.

To participate, drop by our registration desk next to the Animal Storm statue at 45th and Wallingford. Volunteers will receive a safety vest, picker, gloves, bags, and a plan! We hope to see you there!

Thank you, Will and Michael, for all your work!

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Public art enriches our lives without us even knowing it and becomes part of our experiences, says sculptor Toby Mendez. Wallingford is full of outdoor art—from the whimsical mosaics of the Boys and Girls Club to the Animal Storm sculpture outside Wallingford Center to the eye-catching murals found throughout the N. 45th St. business district.

With this as inspiration, a collaborative neighborhood group, Wallingford Beautification, is working on plans to add to Wallingford’s artistic landscape, to enhance visual interest and raise community pride in Wallingford. With guidance from project manager Juan Martinez from the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, this group is focused on adding graphics to three utility boxes along N. 45th St.—at the SE corner of Meridian and 45th in front of Silver Tray Thai; on the north side of 45th in front of QFC; and on the SE corner of 45th at Densmore by Wells Fargo.

The group invites your input on potential graphics for this project. Your feedback will assist the committee in charting the path forward as it enhances the utility boxes in Wallingford.

From February 11th to 15th, Historic Wallingford will be partnering with Tutta Bella for a fundraiser, making it easy as pie to show your love for Wallingford this Valentine’s Day!

Dine in or order delivery, takeout, or curbside from Tutta Bella during those days and use the code EasyAsPieWallingford at checkout. Twenty percent of sales made during February 11-15 using our special code will go directly towards Historic Wallingford’s efforts to foster an awareness of and appreciation for our neighborhood’s history and architecture. Thank you for your support!

Note: Valid for orders placed at the Wallingford, South Lake Union, Columbia City, and Issaquah restaurants, or the Kirkland or University Village QFCs (by ordering online, not at the kiosk). Orders made through third-party delivery services like DoorDash or UberEats do not qualify.