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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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406 results for: Construction and Urban Planning

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Image of Bernie Whitebear and Pete Schnurman at Daybreak Star construction site, Seattle, June 9, 1976
Photograph

Bernie Whitebear and Pete Schnurman at Daybreak Star construction site, Seattle, June 9, 1976

In 1970, a group of activists led by Bernie Whitebear (1937-2000), Sin-Aikst, or Sinixt (now one of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation), began a protest which culminated in approval for the development of both a cultural center for Indigenous peoples and a municipal park on decommissioned surplus land at Seattle's Fort Lawton site. After several years spent raising…
ID Number:2000.107.178.13.01
Date:1976
Image of Apartment building set for demolition, Seattle, February 10, 1982
Photograph

Apartment building set for demolition, Seattle, February 10, 1982

In the early 1980s, the state of Washington planned to widen the western end of Interstate 90 (I-90) and extend it to meet Interstate 5 (I-5) in Seattle’s Central Area. This expansion required the demolition of the Atlantic Street neighborhood near the I-90 overpass at Rainier Avenue. State agents began buying property in Atlantic Street and coercing residents into moving…
ID Number:2000.107.185.01.04
Date:1982
Image of Lifting the Polynesia Restaurant, Seattle, January 25, 1982
Photograph

Lifting the Polynesia Restaurant, Seattle, January 25, 1982

In 1961, the Polynesia Restaurant opened at the end of Pier 51, in advance of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. The popular Tiki-style restaurant closed two decades later, a casualty of the expansion of the Washington State Ferry Terminal. In January 1982, after the interior fixtures and furnishings had been removed, the building was reinforced with steel I-beams and lifted…
ID Number:2000.107.185.23.04
Date:1982
Image of Moving the Polynesia Restaurant, Seattle, January 25, 1982
Photograph

Moving the Polynesia Restaurant, Seattle, January 25, 1982

In 1961, the Polynesia Restaurant opened at the end of Pier 51, in advance of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. The popular Tiki-style restaurant closed two decades later, a casualty of the expansion of the Washington State Ferry Terminal. In January 1982, after the interior fixtures and furnishings had been removed, the building was reinforced with steel I-beams and lifted…
ID Number:2000.107.185.23.05
Date:1982
Image of Ray's Boathouse rebuilt after fire, Seattle, March 11, 1988
Photograph

Ray's Boathouse rebuilt after fire, Seattle, March 11, 1988

One of Seattle’s landmark waterfront restaurants, Ray’s Boathouse, burned in a spectacular fire on May 26, 1987. A wiring problem beneath Ray’s pier caused plumes of smoke, which spread up into the restaurant through the kitchen floor and prompted the evacuation of customers and staff. Some 50 to 60 fire fighters, plus 20 fire trucks and boats fought the four-alarm…
ID Number:2000.107.185.24.03
Date:1988
Image of Supporters of the Turf Grill and Smoke Shop gathering for protest, Seattle, November 28, 1984
Photograph

Supporters of the Turf Grill and Smoke Shop gathering for protest, Seattle, November 28, 1984

The Turf Grill and Smoke Shop opened in Seattle in the 1920s at 1407 Third Avenue. In addition to food, it sold beer and wine, cigars and cigarettes, and also had a barber shop. The Turf moved to Second and Pike in 1984 when 3rd Avenue was closed for the building of the Bus Tunnel (now the Transit Tunnel). In…
ID Number:2000.107.185.26.02
Date:1984
Image of View of sanitary landfill on 43rd. Ave. S. looking south, Seattle, December 1942
Photograph

View of sanitary landfill on 43rd. Ave. S. looking south, Seattle, December 1942

This image shows a sanitary landfill on 43rd Ave S between Genesee St. and Lake Washington Boulevard. A sanitary landfill, or fill, was a type of garbage dump in which trash was deposited, spread out and compacted, then covered in several inches of dirt. The city had proposed to expand the fill eastward to 45th Ave S, but residents of…
ID Number:2000.107.188.33.01
Date:1942
Image of View of sanitary landfill on 43rd. Ave. S. looking west, Seattle, December 1942
Photograph

View of sanitary landfill on 43rd. Ave. S. looking west, Seattle, December 1942

This image shows a sanitary landfill on 43rd Ave S between Genesee St. and Lake Washington Boulevard. A sanitary landfill, or fill, was a type of garbage dump in which trash was deposited, spread out and compacted, then covered in several inches of dirt. The city had proposed to expand the fill eastward to 45th Ave S, but residents of…
ID Number:2000.107.188.33.02
Date:1942
Image of Aerial view of Empire Way and Sick's Stadium, July 11, 1953
Photograph

Aerial view of Empire Way and Sick's Stadium, July 11, 1953

Empire Way’s route was first laid out in 1913, as a state highway heading southeast out of Seattle. It was named for James J. Hill, the head of the Great Northern Railway, who was nicknamed the “Empire Builder.” At first, Empire Way was put together from parts of older roads on the same route. From the 1930s to the 1950s,…
ID Number:2000.107.189.11.01
Date:1953
Image of View of Rainier Avenue and Lake Way looking east, March 1954
Photograph

View of Rainier Avenue and Lake Way looking east, March 1954

Seattle's Atlantic neighborhood (which has also been referred to as Yesler/Atlantic and Judkins Park) is a triangular community in the Central District area, between Mount Baker Ridge and Beacon Hill. One of oldest residential neighborhoods, it was home to Seattle's largest Italian enclaves during the early years of the twentieth century. Like other neighborhoods in central and southeast Seattle, Black…
ID Number:2000.107.189.16.01
Date:1954
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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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