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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.

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1312 results for: Seattle Center

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Image of The intersection of Yesler and Jefferson Streets, circa 1906
Photograph

The intersection of Yesler and Jefferson Streets, circa 1906

Downtown Seattle grew quickly during the late 1890s. This photo, taken sometime after 1903, shows the congested area near Seattle's City Hall (large building in the center). Jefferson Street, to the left of City Hall, is being regraded. The street is partially blocked by a house which is being moved. Streetcars and buggies move along Yesler Street (lower left). The…
ID Number:1983.10.7451.2
Date:Circa 1906
Image of View from Queen Anne Hill, Seattle, 1905
Photograph

View from Queen Anne Hill, Seattle, 1905

Between 1900 and 1905, Seattle's population more than doubled. Counting Ballard and other neighboring towns, the population stood at around 185,000. In 1905, eight years after the first gold arrived from the Klondike, local businesses did more than $20 million of trade with Alaska and expected this to continue to grow.This photo looks toward Elliott Bay from Queen Anne Hill…
ID Number:1983.10.7527.3
Date:1905
Image of John B. Allen School, Seattle, circa 1905
Photograph

John B. Allen School, Seattle, circa 1905

Seattle's John B. Allen School opened in 1904 at Northwest 67th Street and Phinney Avenue. The two-story building was designed by Seattle school architect James Stephen and named for one of Washington state's first senators. John B. Allen School had eight classrooms and housed six teachers and 381 students. In 1917, the old wooden building closed and classes moved to…
ID Number:1983.10.7547
Date:Circa 1905
Image of First Avenue from University Street, circa 1907
Photograph

First Avenue from University Street, circa 1907

Seattle's downtown boomed during the 1900s. This photo was taken around 1907, looking south along First Avenue. The area near University Street is lined with hotels and other businesses. Streetcars move along the center of the avenue, and carts and wagons drive nearer the curb. The darker streetcar is headed north to Ballard Beach. The lighter one carries the mail.…
ID Number:1983.10.7638
Date:Circa 1907
Image of Upper Second Avenue, 1908
Photograph

Upper Second Avenue, 1908

By 1908, Seattle's Second Avenue looked much as it does today. The city had removed part of Denny Hill, and businessmen had replaced the old hilltop Washington Hotel with a building at the lower street level. Visitors to the city admired the new ornamental streetlights which had begun to line the main business streets.In this 1908 photo, pedestrians cross Pine…
ID Number:1983.10.7648.2
Date:1908
Image of Redelsheimer's department store, circa 1906
Photograph

Redelsheimer's department store, circa 1906

Julius Redelsheimer owned a department store on First Avenue in Seattle. This photo, taken around 1906, shows the inside of Redelsheimer's store decorated with flowers, plants, and cedar garlands. To the right is a moving walkway which took customers to the upper floor. the building had a skylight and a light well in the center which helped to light each…
ID Number:1983.10.7684
Date:Circa 1906
Image of Pond in Denny Blaine Park, Seattle, circa 1912
Photograph

Pond in Denny Blaine Park, Seattle, circa 1912

The origins of Denny Blaine Park are linked to the promotion of real estate undertaken by Elbert F. Blaine and Charles L. Denny. By creating attractive parks and supporting the trolley or cable car lines to bring people to them, these men typified the enterprising spirit. Blaine was also Park Commissioner from 1902-1908. The two men named their subdivision at…
ID Number:1983.10.7870.1
Date:Circa 1912
Image of Kirkland from Lake Washington, 1906
Photograph

Kirkland from Lake Washington, 1906

In 1888, Seattle investors convinced British industrialist Peter Kirk to open a steel mill in Kirkland, named in his honor. They hoped that the Moss Bay Iron and Steel Works, reorganized in 1890 as the Great Western Iron and Steel Company, would turn Kirkland into the Pittsburgh of the West. The city boomed as speculators subdivided land and built substantial…
ID Number:1983.10.7887
Date:1906
Image of Clarance B. Blethen residence, Seattle, circa 1912
Photograph

Clarance B. Blethen residence, Seattle, circa 1912

The residence in the center of this view belonged to Clarance B. Blethen and his family and was located at 500 West Comstock Street in Queen Anne. Handwritten on sleeve: C.B. Blethen Home.Photographer's Reference Number: 8114
ID Number:1983.10.7943.2
Date:Circa 1912
Image of Electric cars on Summit Avenue, Seattle, 1913
Photograph

Electric cars on Summit Avenue, Seattle, 1913

In the early days of automobiles, electric cars were very popular. This photo, taken looking south on Summit from Seneca Street, shows five electric sedans. The home in the center with columns belonged to Clarence Hanford, co-owner of Lowman & Hanford Company. The residence on the left belonged to Julius Redelsheimer, and the home on the right was owned by…
ID Number:1983.10.8752.1
Date:1913
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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
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