410 results for: Urban Planning
Photograph
Workers pouring concrete for Beacon Hill reservoir, Seattle, circa 1911
Washington's Cedar River originates in the Cascade Mountain Range and drains into Puget Sound via Lake Washington. Since 1899 the upper Cedar River watershed, and its subsequent reservoirs and pipeline infrastructure, have been operated by Seattle Public Utilities, providing drinking water for about two-thirds of King County. The population of Seattle and King County grew quickly after the establishment of…
ID Number:SHS3768
Date:Circa 1911
Photograph
Alaskan Way Viaduct from 1st Ave., Seattle, 1960
The Alaskan Way Viaduct was an elevated highway in Seattle which was completed in 1966 after 16 years of construction and decades of planning. The double-decked highway ran along the Elliott Bay waterfront above the surface street, Alaskan Way, following previously existing railroad lines. The viaduct provided Seattle with its first bypass route around the downtown business district. The viaduct…
ID Number:SHS3978
Date:1960
Photograph
Adding floors to the County-City Building, circa 1930
In 1916, the new King County Courthouse and Municipal Building, also called the County-City Building, opened on Third Avenue in downtown Seattle. The building, designed by Seattle architect Augustus Warren Gould, was five stories tall, with a partial sixth story for the use of the city engineer. In 1929-1931, architect Henry Bittman's six story addition expanded Gould's original building upwards.This…
ID Number:SHS6523
Date:Circa 1930
Photograph
Alaskan Way Viaduct under construction, Seattle, circa 1952
The Alaskan Way Viaduct was an elevated highway in Seattle which was completed in 1966 after 16 years of construction and decades of planning. The double-decked highway ran along the Elliott Bay waterfront above the surface street, Alaskan Way, following previously existing railroad lines. The viaduct provided Seattle with its first bypass route around the downtown business district. The viaduct…
ID Number:SHS7287
Date:Circa 1952
Photograph
Warren Avenue School, Seattle, 1903
Construction of Warren Avenue School began in 1902, and the school opened in 1903 on the corner of Harrison Street and Warren Avenue in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne district. Possibly named for Revolutionary War hero Major-General Joseph Warren, the three-story, wood-frame building helped relieve crowding at nearby Denny and Mercer Elementary Schools at a time the city was booming. In…
ID Number:SHS7726
Date:1903
Photograph
Mayor Bertha Landes breaking ground for the Civic Auditorium, Seattle, November 7, 1927
Seattle Mayor Bertha K. Landes broke ground for the city's new Civic Auditorium and Stadium in November 1927. The complex, at what is now Seattle Center, was completed the following year. Mayor Landes, who served from 1926 to 1928, was the first female mayor of a major American city. The Civic Auditorium later became the Seattle Center Opera House and…
ID Number:SHS8480
Date:1927
Photograph
Alaska Building under construction, Seattle, August 9, 1904
In 1903, work began on the 14-story Alaska Building. This office building was Seattle's first skyscraper to be built with steel framing. Steel framed buildings could be taller than those in Pioneer Square which were built by earlier methods. This photo shows construction of the Alaska Building, which still stands on the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Cherry Streets.…
ID Number:SHS9373
Date:1904
Photograph
The Orcas at Lake Washington Ship Canal, February 2, 1916
The Lake Washington Ship Canal was created to move logs, coal, and other resources directly from the east side of Lake Washington to Elliott Bay. Construction began in 1911 under Hiram M. Chittenden of the Army Corps of Engineers. The formal dedication and opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal for business was on July 4, 1917, when the SS…
ID Number:SHS10603
Date:1916
Photograph
View of Jackson Street regrade, 1910
Before the Jackson Street regrading project, Beacon Hill formed a barrier between Seattle's waterfront and the Rainier Valley. Between 1907 and 1910, over three million cubic yards of earth were moved to make a cut through the hill. Most of the dirt was used to fill in Seattle's tidal flats.This panorama of the Jackson Street regrade area shows the project…
ID Number:SHS10792
Date:1910
Photograph
Workers making metal work for Smith Tower, circa 1912
Gaggin & Gaggin, an architectural firm in Syracuse, New York, designed Seattle's Smith Tower. Construction began in 1910, and the 42-story building opened in 1914. At that time, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River.This photo, taken in 1912 or 1913 shows workmen, including one teenager, making the iron and brasswork used in the the Smith Tower's…
ID Number:SHS15303
Date:Circa 1912