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Albert Balch (1903? - September 27, 1976)
Quote from Various Sources:
"In 1935, Seattle struggled out of the Great Depression. Ralph Jones and Albert Balch decided to become real estate men. They met while working for radio stations owned by the Fisher family. Jones was a newsman and Balch sold the ads. Seattle physician Carl Neu owned 10 acres of second-growth forest at NE 65th Street and 50th Avenue NE, but he couldn't pay the taxes. Balch and Jones bought the property with $25 down, with a balloon payment of $1,000 due in a month. They went to the county assessor and platted View Ridge, the first new real estate project in the county in more than two years.
Jones and Balch started clearing land. They cut trees and graded streets and lots. Slash was pulled into large piles and burned in great bonfires, events that made their way into the newspapers. Removing the trees exposed stunning views of Lake Washington and the Cascades. The first houses that they built were for themselves on 50th Avenue NE (HistoryLink.org, 2010). "
Primary Sources/Links:
NWHikers.net - A Photo of Wedgwood Rock
HistoryLink.org - Seattle Neighborhoods: View Ridge -- Thumbnail History