Ivar Haglund, Seattle, 1962
Ivar Haglund shares a tender moment with one of his long-time companions. One of Seattle’s most colorful and popular characters, Ivar won his way into the hearts of local residents with his zany antics. Born to Swedish/Norwegian parents in West Seattle in 1905, he grew up playing guitar and singing, performing on radio, on stage and on the sidewalk, eventually becoming an expert in Northwest folk music. A true entrepreneur, Haglund opened the first aquarium in Seattle on Pier 54 in 1938. At the same time, he also opened his first fish and chips bar, an enterprise that would blossom into 26 Seafood Bars and three full-service restaurants. In 1976, just after purchasing Smith Tower, Ivar made newspaper headlines by flying a 16-foot-long windsock on the flagpole atop the building. Though in violation of Municipal Code, the city decided in favor of allowing “The Rainbow Salmon” to fly. In what was probably his last big publicity gag, Ivar was elected Seattle Port Commissioner in 1983, winning by 30,000 votes without any campaigning. He died of a heart attack, at age 79, on January 30, 1985. His legacy lives on every summer with the annual Fourth of Jul-Ivar’s Independence Day festival, a tradition since 1964.
Photographer: Josef Scaylea
Image Date: 1962
Image Number: 1993.20.236
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I have been attacked by seagulls twice: once at Sea World, and once at Ivar’s.
My great grandmother dated him! God, we coulda been somebody.
