The Burrows Cabin is the oldest building in Bellevue. It was built in 1883 by Albert Burrows, a civil war veteran, who came to Bellevue in 1882.

He claimed 160 acres of land (now part of Chism Beach Park) on Lake Washington for his homestead. The cabin was originally located near what is now known as Burrows Landing, at the foot of Southeast 16th Street.

A carpenter, Burrows built the cabin homself. It was originally measured 13 by 23 feet. In the 1930s, the cabin was moved near where Bellevue Square is today. It was moved again in 1946 to its current location off of 112th Avenue Northeast. An addition was added to the cabin in 1956, which doubled the square footage.

The cabin suffered a fire in the 1970s, but the damage was only to the interior of the cabin, though at this time, the original windows were replaced with modern single pane glass.

The cabin is currently in use as a private residence, but has been promised as a donation to the City of Bellevue Parks Department.

This information and image were provided by the Eastside Heritage Center. To learn more about Bellevue and Eastside history, contact the Eastside Heritage Center at 425-450-1049 or visit www.EastsideHeritageCenter.org.