In 1936, the plant was finished with a goal to build early prototypes of the B-17 Flying Fortress and the Boeing 307 Stratoliners.

600,000 square feet (56,000 m2) was added to the plant in May 1940 to support Boeing production of 380 Douglas DB-7 light bombers.

To hide the factory from possible aerial attack, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built houses of plywood and fabric and installed fake streets to camouflage the roof.

B-52 production was consolidated in Wichita, Kansas in 1958, ending the era of regular aircraft assembly at the plant.

[1] Satellite buildings remain operational and on the footprint of the old plant are large tarmac lots for automobiles and airplanes.

Under an agreement with both state and federal governments as well as local Native American tribes, the company restored more than five acres (2 ha) of wetlands along the Duwamish River.

[1] In 1940, Joe Sutter took a summer job at the plant while studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Washington.