432 results for: Construction and Urban Planning
Photograph
Trestles and traveling cranes at dam construction site, circa 1937
Large concrete dams, like Grand Coulee Dam, are actually built as a series of immense blocks, not as one solid structure. At Grand Coulee, workers poured concrete five feet at a time into wooden forms at the top of each column. A system of trestles and traveling cranes moved the workers and building materials to where they were needed.This photo,…
ID Number:PI22037
Date:Circa 1937
Photograph
Men emptying cement into form at dam construction site, circa 1937
After much research, the United States Bureau of Reclamation and its contractor, the MWAK Company, developed a very strong type of concrete for the Grand Coulee Dam. Two concrete mixing plants built at the dam site supplied 640 cubic yards of concrete per hour, breaking all earlier records. Traveling cranes moved the concrete to the building site in huge buckets.This…
ID Number:PI22043
Date:Circa 1937
Photograph
High Point housing project, July 1942
When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, workers were already pouring into Seattle to work at Boeing and other war industries. The Seattle Housing Authority rushed to complete High Point in West Seattle to house some of the war workers. Some 650 carpenters and other laborers built 700 homes, mainly duplexes.This July 1942 shows the High…
ID Number:PI23696
Date:1942
Photograph
Aerial view of Alaskan Way Viaduct under construction from south, Seattle, 1957
Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct carried traffic over the waterfront area, linking the northern part of the city to the industrial area south of the central business district. The first unit of the elevated roadway, from Battery Street to Dearborn Street, was completed in 1953 and a southern extension in 1959. The Viaduct closed in January 2019 after being replaced by…
ID Number:PI27481
Date:1957
Photograph
Houses under construction in Bellevue, May 1946
At the end of World War II, the United States Congress passed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, called the G.I. Bill of Rights. The G.I. Bill provided $13 billion to returning military personnel for medical treatment, education and vocational training, and other needs. The bill offered home buyers government-guarantied, low-interest loans on new homes, with no down payment. New…
ID Number:PI27850
Date:1946
Photograph
Aerial view of Lake Hills, Bellevue, 1959
In the 1950s, Lake Hills and other housing developments were built for families moving to the east side of Lake Washington. The developers of Lake Hills built 4,000 homes on 1,000 rural acres near Bellevue. They advertised the new development as the first major planned community in the Pacific Northwest, calling it "a fine residential area in a relaxing country…
ID Number:PI27874
Date:1959
Photograph
Regrading on Third Avenue near Spring Street, Seattle, 1906
Seattle's hills are steep, but they used to be steeper. During various regrading projects, the city tried to make the streets and avenues more level. Some areas were raised and some were lowered. Nearby buildings were raised or lowered too. Others were torn down or moved away.This photograph was taken during the regrading project on Third Avenue in downtown Seattle.…
ID Number:SHS503
Date:1906
Photograph
Second Ave. and Spring St. during regrade, circa 1909
This image shows the corner of Second Avenue and Spring Street, looking east up Spring, during one of Seattle's regrading projects. The Lincoln Hotel is at upper right, on the corner of 4th Avenue, with the roof of the Seattle Public Library visible just behind. The cross of Providence Hospital is just visible above the Library. Horses and a cart…
ID Number:SHS911
Date:Circa 1909
Photograph
Corner of Terry and Columbia streets on First Hill, Seattle, circa 1895
One of Seattle’s seven hills, First Hill was city’s first “neighborhood” to be settled in the 1870s. Rising 366 feet above Elliott Bay, the once-forested slope was an easy walk to the city’s commercial district. By 1883, the hill entered a new era as the retreat of its “first families,” including mayors, judges, industrialists, timber barons, and art collectors. Over…
ID Number:SHS1006
Date:Circa 1895
Photograph
Workman posing at Fremont townsite, Seattle, May 1888
Seattle's Fremont neighborhood is located at the northwest corner of Lake Union, and was originally part of the William A. Strickler homestead. On March 1, 1888 David Thomas Denny (1832-1903) and John Philo Hoyt (1841-1926) bought 240 acres from Strickler's estate, then sold the parcel to Carrie and Edward Blewett on March 20, 1888. With the help of their agents,…
ID Number:SHS1047B
Date:1888