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Overview

Designed by University of Washington professors Victor Steinbrueck and John R. Spoule, this wood-frame animal hospital designed for veterinarian William Brennan has stood at 4368 Leary Way NW in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood since 1955.

Building History

Architect Victor Steinbrueck worked with his University of Washington (UW) Department of Architecture faculty colleague John R. Sproule, on the design of this animal hospital for William Brennan. The website of the Ballard Animal Hospital indicated that the building dated from 1953, while the plans held by the UW Libraries Special Collections division had a date of 1955.

According to the Ballard Animal Hospital website: "Dr. William Brennan built the original structure and opened for business in 1953. In his design, he included a three bedroom apartment, located below the clinic, where he and his family lived for several years. One bathroom and five kids! Dr. Brennan had a series of business associates until he was joined by Thomas Weiger, DVM and Paul Ahrens, DVM in 1971 and R. Brian Rowse, DVM in 1977. In 1986 Dr. Brennan retired from practice and sold his share of the business to the other partners. Years passed. Then Dr. Weiger retired in 1993 and the two remaining partners worked together until, sadly, Dr. Ahrens passed away in 2001. Dr. Rowse became the sole proprietor in February 2002 and worked with associates until he decided it was time to sell the business. Dr. Emily Howe, DVM purchased Ballard Animal Hospital in 2007 with Dr. Rowse continuing to practice at the hospital until he retired in 2019. Currently, Dr. Howe has several associate vets on staff with her." (See Ballard Animal Hospital.com, "Our History," accessed 07/31/2025.)

PCAD id: 25811