SEATTLE — Three of Seattle’s beloved waterfront streetcars are being sold to St. Louis, say Metro officials.
Two of the streetcars will stay in Seattle, thanks to money raised by a group called ‘Friends of George Benson.’
George Benson and his wife Evelyn owned Mission Pharmacy in Capitol Hill through the 90s. They purchased the pharmacy in 1947 together.
George became a local politician and councilmember in 1973; he spearheaded and developed Seattle’s waterfront trolley system, which was later named in his honor.
The George Benson Waterfront Streetcar Line was originally a 1.6-mile line that ran between Broad Street to Main Street. In 1990, the line was expanded to include Pioneer Square and the International District.
George worked for nearly a decade to get the 1924 vintage cars from Australia and start up the service in 1982.
He bought each of the trolley cars for $5,000 and recruited volunteers to bring them to Seattle.
Late in life, George was an avid gardener with a backyard filled with raspberries; he retired from the City Council at the end of 1993.
He fell in love with his wife, Evelyn, at first sight. She passed away in April of 2002.
George died at an assisted living home in Edmonds on October 22, 2004.
The trolleys’ maintenance barn was torn down in 2005 to make way for Seattle's Olympic Sculpture Park.
The plan was to move the barn's location and reopen the line, but it never happened.
KIRO
