432 results for: Construction and Urban Planning
Photograph
Men posing in front of tent near Jacob Furth home, 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. In this image men pose in front of a tent set up after the fire during regrading operations, in which streets were raised up to 22 feet in places, helping to level the hilly…
ID Number:SHS1359
Date:1889
Photograph
Smith Tower under construction, Seattle, circa 1913
The Smith Tower was Seattle's first skyscraper. This photo shows the skeleton of the skyscraper in the midst of construction that took four years to complete. The construction company, E.E. Davis Co., set a record by using a single crane to erect 8 floors of steelwork in one week. Upon opening in 1914 it was the tallest building west of…
ID Number:SHS2129
Date:Circa 1913
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