History
LWRC was founded in 1957 by a small group of athletes training for international competition. Coached by Stan Pocock they established a tradition of excellence for LWRC by winning gold medals in the 1960 and 1964 Olympic games and the 1959 and 1963 Pan American Games.
Women joined the Club in 1963, and in 1966 a group of nine LWRC women hosted and won the first National Women’s Rowing Association (NWRA) Championships. In 1969 the LWRC women again won the NWRA Championships, and became the first USA women’s crew to travel to Europe to compete in the World Championships.
Recreational and masters rowers and scullers since the 1970’s have swelled the membership of LWRC, bringing with them a wide variety of organizational and professional skills as well as a considerable measure of stability and support.
Until 1975, LWRC operated from rowing facilities located on the University of Washington campus. In 1975 LWRC purchased a floating slip that was previously used for yacht building. After four months of labor by dedicated club members the slip was transformed into the LWRC floating boathouse. This boathouse could only house a few fours, doubles, and singles, and was always considered a temporary home. Even with minimal facilities, LWRC membership grew rapidly to more than 200 people.
In 1987, LWRC leased an unimproved warehouse in the Fremont area of Seattle. Members again pitched in, converting an empty warehouse into a boathouse, and constructing a dock suitable for launching racing shells.
In 1995 LWRC realized a longstanding goal with the dedication of a beautiful boathouse on the north shore of Lake Union. This is also one of the largest boathouses in the Puget Sound Area. The Club continues to maintain the floating boathouse on Garfield Street that was used as a temporary home.