We stretched our recognition of St. Patrick’s Day by one day, 18 March, so that I could perform my trumpet show, “St. Patrick’s Day Celebration,” at Queen Anne Manor in Seattle. It was the 41st retirement community in the Greater Seattle area where I’ve performed since I began doing this 8 years ago.

This show consists of 26 Irish ballads, jigs and reels and one limerick, two riddles, and 10 Irish jokes. I use four horns: trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, and pocket trumpet. Many of the residents said they have Irish ancestry. They knew the songs and sang along as I played, and they laughed at my jokes.

Queen Anne Manor captures first prize for being the oldest building where I’ve performed—built in 1911. Originally, it was three stories, and a fourth was added ten years later in 1921. At first, it was the site of the Children’s Orthopedic Hospital, founded by Anna Herr Clise. She had lost her son, Willis (5), in 1898 to inflammatory rheumatism. At the time, there was no physician or hospital in Seattle that specialized in pediatric care—no facility to treat crippled or malnourished children.

In 1907, the 23-woman Board of Trustees of the newly formed Children’s Orthopedic Hospital Association adopted a policy to accept any child, regardless of race, religion, or the parents’ ability to pay. The hospital operated at temporarily locations until its new building was completed. Queen Anne Hill was chosen for its superior air quality, up high in fresh air, away from downtown yet served by streetcars. It had 40 beds. That increased to 78 beds in open-air wards upon completion of the fourth floor. President F.D. Roosevelt, a polio victim, visited in September 1932, during the Great Depression.

The hospital relocated to the Laurelhurst neighborhood in 1954. After that, the building was occupied by a King County Health Department clinic (1954-1968) and then county offices and a morgue until 1980, when the building became a retirement home with private apartments. The place has been modernized and yet retains characteristics of its 115-year history.

For more information about Vineyard Park at Queen Anne Manor, please see Assisted Living in Queen Anne, Seattle, WA | Vineyard Park at Queen Anne Manor | CarePartners Senior Living. It is one of more than 30 communities in Washington and Arizona in the Care Partners Management Group, home based at Mercer Island. In Washington, there are 20 facilities, located from Lynden to Everett to Seattle to Bremerton to Tacoma to Covington and in Spokane.

Some photos are courtesy of Queen Anne Manor and others were taken by me. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.