Kirkland's early hopes for prosperity died with the economic depression of the 1890s and the failure of the Great Western Iron & Steel Company. In 1910, Burke & Farrar, a Seattle real estate company, bought up the vacant lots and began to promote the area for homes and businesses. By 1925, the firm had a large office in the heart of Kirkland. This 1925 photo shows the Burke & Farrar Building at the northeast corner of Kirkland Avenue and Lake Street in downtown Kirkland. A large electric sign on top of the building greets the passengers arriving by ferry; the landing is out of sight at the lower left.

Signs in image: Kirkland. Burke & Farrar Building. Hotel. Drugs - Ice Cream, Candies. Sale. Kirkland Drug Store. Handwritten on sleeve: Kirkland st. scene. Caption by MOHAI staff.

• Subjects (LCTGM): Business districts--Washington (State)--Kirkland; Commercial streets--Washington (State)--Kirkland; Automobiles--Washington (State)--Kirkland