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141 results for: Great Seattle Fire (1889)

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Image of Men with horse team on First Avenue, Seattle, circa 1890
Photograph

Men with horse team on First Avenue, Seattle, circa 1890

In this image, a group of men pose with a horse-drawn wagon on the boardwalk along First Avenue just past Cherry Street. The wagon appears to be carrying a large slab of marble or other stone, perhaps part of the reconstruction efforts after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, when rebuilding efforts favored steel, stone, and brick construction over the…
ID Number:1980.6923.41
Date:Circa 1890
Image of Workmen posing with stone slab, Seattle, circa 1890
Photograph

Workmen posing with stone slab, Seattle, circa 1890

In this image stone carvers, with their wooden mallets and chisels, pose with a large slab; notes on the image indicate the slab's size but not its function. Perhaps the slab was an element of a new building under construction in the aftermath of the 1889 Great Fire, when the rebuilding effort favored steel, stone, and brick construction over the…
ID Number:1980.6923.65
Date:Circa 1890
Image of Seattle waterfront from Elliott Bay, circa 1910
Photograph

Seattle waterfront from Elliott Bay, circa 1910

This image, looking east from Elliott Bay, features the working docks of Seattle's waterfront. Prior to the Great Fire in 1889 the piers had generally been constructed perpendicular to the waterfront. They were rebuilt according to the northeast-southwest angle, prescribed by City Engineer Reginald Thomson and Assistant City Engineer George Cotterill in the 1897 tidelands replat, which allowed more ships…
ID Number:1980.6923.96
Date:Circa 1910
Image of Columbia St. from Yesler's wharf, Seattle, circa 1875
Photograph

Columbia St. from Yesler's wharf, Seattle, circa 1875

Predating the settlement that became the city of Seattle, the Duwamish had a winter village of approximately 8 longhouses situated along the central waterfront, roughly at the intersection of present-day First Avenue South and Yesler Way. Henry Yesler established his steam-powered sawmill at the foot of Mill Road (now Yesler Way) in October 1852, and by around the 1860s, the…
ID Number:1980.6923.106
Date:Circa 1875
Image of Southwest view of Seattle after fire, July 1889
Photograph

Southwest view of Seattle after fire, July 1889

The Great Fire of June 6, 1889 was a significant turning point in Seattle's history and changed both the physical and political landscapes of the City, destroying 100 acres of Seattle's business district and waterfront. The city didn't take much time to mourn; most businesses decided to rebuild where they had been, and rebuilding began almost immediately, creating a building…
ID Number:1980.6923.118
Date:1889
Image of South-facing view of Seattle after fire, July 1889
Photograph

South-facing view of Seattle after fire, July 1889

The Great Fire of June 6, 1889 was a significant turning point in Seattle's history and changed both the physical and political landscapes of the City, destroying 100 acres of Seattle's business district and waterfront. The city didn't take much time to mourn; most businesses decided to rebuild where they had been, and rebuilding began almost immediately, creating a building…
ID Number:1980.6923.122
Date:1889
Image of Businesses on Yesler Way near Occidental Ave S., 1967
Photograph

Businesses on Yesler Way near Occidental Ave S., 1967

This photograph, taken around 1967, shows the intersection of Yesler Way and Occidental Ave South. The building shown was originally named the Sanderson Block and it was constructed shortly after the Great Seattle Fire in 1889 to replace a wooden structure that had burned in the fire. It has been home to the Merchant's Cafe since opening in 1890, making…
ID Number:1980.7067.1.22.1
Date:1967
Image of Men posing outside Jewel Saloon after Great Seattle Fire, June 1889
Photograph

Men posing outside Jewel Saloon after Great Seattle Fire, June 1889

The Great Fire of June 6, 1889 was a significant turning point in Seattle's history and changed both the physical and political landscapes of the City. The fire completely consumed 100 acres of Seattle's business district and waterfront. The city didn't take much time to mourn; most businesses decided to rebuild where they had been, and quickly set up tents…
ID Number:1980.7092.1
Date:1889
Image of Exterior of Chicago Boot & Shoe Store before Great Seattle Fire, circa 1889
Photograph

Exterior of Chicago Boot & Shoe Store before Great Seattle Fire, circa 1889

This image was taken before the fire destroyed the Chicago Boot and Shoe Store, located on the northeast corner of Front Street (now First Avenue) and James Street in Pioneer Square. By the next year, proprietor John Henry Rengstorff (1860-1917) had reopened his shoe store at 707 Second Avenue, near Cherry Street. The individuals in the image are unidentified except…
ID Number:1980.7092.2
Date:Circa 1889
Image of Schwabacher Bros. & Co. employees posing outside store, Seattle, 1889
Photograph

Schwabacher Bros. & Co. employees posing outside store, Seattle, 1889

The Schwabacher Brothers, Louis Schwabacher (1837-1900), Abraham Schwabacher (1838-1909), and Sigmund (Sig) Schwabacher (1841-1917), were pioneering Bavarian-born Jewish merchants, important in the economic development of the Pacific Northwest. They owned several businesses bearing their family name, and opened an branch in Seattle in 1869. Within a short time, the firm became Puget Sound's major wholesaler of canned goods, dry goods,…
ID Number:1981.7279.1
Date:1889
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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
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