West Armour Street End provides shoreline access in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood where Perkins Lane West meets Puget Sound. The street was named in 1890 as part of Gilman's Addition to the City of Seattle associated with Daniel Hunt Gilman and the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, honoring the Armour brothers who were prominent Chicago investors in the railroad. The Chicago meatpacking magnates founded Armour and Company in 1867, with Philip Danforth Armour advancing money required to start Gilman's railway enterprise. Historical ambiguity exists about whether the street specifically honors Herman Ossian Armour, Philip Danforth Armour, or both brothers collectively as fellow investors with Judge Thomas Burke and James D. Smith. West Armour Street runs nearly uninterrupted for three-quarters of a mile from Thorndyke Avenue West to West Magnolia Playfield at 32nd Avenue West across the railroad tracks in Magnolia, with Perkins Lane West hosting six shoreline street ends including this location.
Kayaking and paddleboarding launch from the street end beach into Puget Sound for exploration along Magnolia's shoreline with routes toward Discovery Park's West Point, Smith Cove, and protected waters offering views of the Olympic Mountains, Bainbridge Island, and maritime traffic. Beachcombing reveals smooth beach stones, driftwood logs from Pacific storms, mussel and barnacle shells attached to rocks, and beach glass in greens, browns, and occasional blues deposited by tides. Wildlife watching includes harbor seals hauling out on nearshore rocks and hunting for fish, bald eagles perching in mature trees along the bluff and fishing the sound, great blue herons stalking shallow waters during low tides, and seabirds including cormorants, pigeon guillemots, and various gull species. Views span across Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains creating dramatic western vistas, with shipping lanes carrying cargo vessels toward Elliott Bay, Washington State Ferries crossing between Seattle and Bainbridge Island, and recreational boats enjoying the sound's protected waters. The street end's designation as public right-of-way preserves waterfront access among Magnolia's residential bluff neighborhoods.
Magnolia dining near West Armour Street End offers diverse neighborhood options. Palisade creates Pacific Northwest cuisine including Dungeness crab cakes and grilled salmon with breathtaking Elliott Bay and Seattle skyline views from waterfront tables. Damoori Kitchen prepares traditional Lebanese dishes including beef kafta pita arous with herb-flecked beef, pickled turnips, tahini, tomato, and radish blocks from Discovery Park. Mura Asian Eatery serves homestyle Korean and Japanese dishes including chicken karaage, beef bulgogi, katsu, spicy tofu stew, yakisoba, and fried rice in Magnolia Village. Pink Salt specializes in Peruvian fare including ceviche, Cordero lamb shank roasted with vegetables and herbs, and pan y chicharron slow-roasted pork belly on homemade bread. Mondello offers classic Italian and Mediterranean cuisine featuring homemade gnocchi, paper-thin pizza, and prosciutto-wrapped veal.
