1950 Map of Mercer Island

About this map

Mercer Island dominates the center of this mid-century survey, surrounded by the waters of Lake Washington as the Eastside communities began their post-war expansion. The map records a landscape in transition, where established estates in Medina and Beaux Arts contrast with the emerging suburban footprints in Bellevue and East Seattle. Local infrastructure is well-defined, featuring the Bellevue Airfield and the Overlake High Sch campus, while the eastern hills still show the industrial fingerprints of earlier eras near Newcastle and the drainages of Coal Creek. Institutional landmarks like the Burbank Boys Sch on the island and the northern reach of Renton at the south end of the lake provide fixed points for genealogists and local historians. To the west, the Bailey Peninsula and Seward Park reach into the lake, marking the boundary of the urban Seattle landscape across the water.