Schnitzelbank Building

7330 NE Bothell Way

Schnitzelbank Building, 7330 NE Bothell Way, Kenmore, May, 2020, Kenmore Heritage Society photo by Jo Ann Evans
Schnitzelbank Restaurant, Kenmore, late 1970s, courtesy McKisson family
Hand carved bar (built 1962), Schnitzelbank Restaurant, Kenmore, courtesy McKisson family
Live German entertainment, Schnitzelbank Restaurant, Kenmore, courtesy McKisson family
Dancing guests, Schnitzelbank Restaurant, Kenmore, 1970s, courtesy McKisson family
Wish Bone (later Schnitzelbank), Kenmore, 1940s, courtesy Kenmore Heritage Society
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7330 NE Bothell Way

The Schnitzelbank building was constructed in 1926 to house the Chili Bowl Café. The building was often vacant during the mid-1930s Depression years. In the 1940s the building became the Wishbone Inn, specializing in chicken meals. It was followed by Thom-Wal’s Café in the 1950s. In 1961 the property was purchased by Bob and Hildegard McKisson, and Hildegard’s mother, Elizabeth “Oma” Poessinger. They changed it to a Bavarian-style restaurant with appropriate architecture, renaming it The Schnitzelbank, the German word for an old-fashioned wood-carving bench. Hand-carved window boxes adorned the front of the building and overflowed each year with bright flowers. German food and entertainment were featured, and the restaurant became a popular attraction to people from the Seattle area. In the late 1970s, a second story was added to the building. The McKissons retired in 1994. Since 2000, the structure has housed a gift shop, and later a toy shop, with other businesses upstairs.

Return to the intersection of 73rd Avenue NE and NE Bothell Way. Cross NE Bothell Way, and proceed south to NE 175th Street.

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