• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

625 results for: Urban

Share:
Image of Yesler Way from Fourth Avenue, circa 1913
Photograph

Yesler Way from Fourth Avenue, circa 1913

In 1913, Seattleites looking west from the top of the stairway from Fourth Avenue to Yesler Way would have seen several new buildings. Most eye-catching was the almost-complete Smith Tower, then the tallest building west of the Mississippi River.In this photo, taken around 1913, the new Hotel Seward stands at the base of Smith Tower, and the Frye Hotel stands…
ID Number:1983.10.9741
Date:Circa 1913
Image of Harbor Island from downtown Seattle, circa 1913
Photograph

Harbor Island from downtown Seattle, circa 1913

With the expansion of Japanese trade and the start of construction on the Panama Canal, Seattle expected its port business to boom. Beginning around 1905, developers filled in an area of tide flats at the mouth of the Duwamish River for huge new piers and warehouses. This was called Harbor Island.This photo, taken from downtown Seattle, shows Harbor Island in…
ID Number:1983.10.9745
Date:Circa 1913
Image of Building the locks at Ballard, circa 1915
Photograph

Building the locks at Ballard, circa 1915

Ground was broken for the Lake Washington Ship Canal locks in 1911, and the first concrete was poured for the lock chambers in 1913. This photo, taken between 1913 and 1916, shows the construction of the thick concrete lock walls. Concrete is being moved along the track in huge buckets. Workmen are backfilling the space between the concrete walls and…
ID Number:1983.10.9778
Date:Circa 1915
Image of Construction of the County-City Building, first phase, circa 1914
Photograph

Construction of the County-City Building, first phase, circa 1914

On June 11, 1914, county commissioners, contractors, and citizens gathered in downtown Seattle and officially broke ground for King County and Seattle's new County-City Building. Over the next few months, workmen moved nearly 57,000 cubic yards of dirt and then started to pour the 192 reinforced concrete footing piers.This 1914 photo, taken during the earthmoving phase of the project, shows…
ID Number:1983.10.9812.2
Date:Circa 1914
Image of Road into Bothell, circa 1914
Photograph

Road into Bothell, circa 1914

In the early part of the 20th century, roads outside larger cities were generally unpaved, with deep ruts and rocks. In this photo, taken around 1914, three men are grading a new road outside Bothell by dragging three split logs behind a car. The town can be seen in the distant right. Webster & Stevens number: 43169
ID Number:1983.10.9950
Date:Circa 1914
Image of Grain elevator under construction, Seattle, 1915
Photograph

Grain elevator under construction, Seattle, 1915

Handwritten on sleeve: Grain Elevator 1915.Webster & Stevens number: 44198
ID Number:1983.10.10059
Date:1915
Image of Hiram Chittenden Locks under construction, 1916
Photograph

Hiram Chittenden Locks under construction, 1916

For years, there was no easy or cheap way to move logs, coal and other resources directly from the east side of Lake Washington to Elliott Bay. There were many plans and several attempts to build a canal via Lake Union. However, none was successful until the Lake Washington Ship Canal was built in 1911 to 1917.The Hiram Chittenden Locks…
ID Number:1983.10.10086
Date:1916
Image of Ship canal locks under construction, 1915
Photograph

Ship canal locks under construction, 1915

Ground was broken for the Lake Washington Ship Canal locks in 1911, and the first concrete was poured for the lock chambers in 1913. The first ship traveled through the locks in 1916.This photo, taken in 1915, shows the two lock chambers under construction. A steam dredge digs the channel (foreground) near a temporary dam built to keep the tide…
ID Number:1983.10.10109
Date:1915
Image of Construction of the County-City Building, first phase, circa 1916
Photograph

Construction of the County-City Building, first phase, circa 1916

In 1916, the new King County Courthouse and Municipal Building, also called the County-City Building, opened on Third Avenue at Jefferson Street in downtown Seattle. The building was designed by Seattle architect Augustus Warren Gould.This 1916 photo shows the new County-City building in downtown Seattle shortly before completion. Jefferson Street and the park across the street are still littered with…
ID Number:1983.10.10254
Date:Circa 1916
Image of Times Square Building during construction, Seattle, 1916
Photograph

Times Square Building during construction, Seattle, 1916

The Times Square Building is located in downtown Seattle on a triangular-shaped block bordered by Fifth Avenue, Olive Way, and Stewart Street. Designed by architects Bebb and Gould in the Italianate style, the five-story building was completed in 1916 and became a Seattle Historic Landmark in 1984.This image of the Times Building, seen here while under construction, was taken facing…
ID Number:1983.10.10286.2
Date:1916
Previous 1 … 12 13 14 15 16 … 63 Next

Land Acknowledgement

MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved