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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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453 results for: Hotel Seattle

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Image of Closed businesses on  S. Main St. after forced removal of Japanese Americans, Seattle, June 1942
Photograph

Closed businesses on S. Main St. after forced removal of Japanese Americans, Seattle, June 1942

The exclusion of Seattle's Japanese families by the federal government during World War II changed the city in numerous ways. Among the more obvious signs were the shuttered and boarded up Japanese businesses along Main, Jackson and upper King Streets. Many of the families who managed or worked in the stores and shops never returned to the city after they…
ID Number:PI28075
Date:1942
Image of East-facing view of Seattle and the Alaskan, 1888
Photograph

East-facing view of Seattle and the Alaskan, 1888

Seattle in the 1880s was a rapidly growing city, aided in no small part by the 1883 connection with the Northern Pacific Railway Company. Lumber and coal were the primary industries, but the growth of fishing, wholesale trade, shipbuilding, and shipping also contributed to the town's economic expansion and population growth. The Seattle City Census of 1888 records population at…
ID Number:SHS201
Date:1888
Image of Commercial Street looking north, Seattle, 1865
Photograph

Commercial Street looking north, Seattle, 1865

Seattle was first incorporated by the Washington Territorial Legislature in 1865 with a population of 350 and an economy based on timber. This image, taken from about Main Street, looking North along Commercial Street (now First Avenue South), shows the Territorial University of Washington in the center distance, built in 1862 at a location now occupied by the Fairmont Olympic…
ID Number:SHS239
Date:1865
Image of City Hall at 3rd and Jefferson, Seattle, circa 1900
Photograph

City Hall at 3rd and Jefferson, Seattle, circa 1900

In 1876, King County purchased a lot from Henry Yesler for the price of $3,500 and built the first King County building on county owned property. The two-story wood, stone and brick structure occupied the corner of Third Avenue and Jefferson Street (the present site of City Hall Park) and cost $17,000 to build. It housed the jail in the…
ID Number:SHS250
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Waterfront from Beacon Hill, Seattle, circa 1898
Photograph

Waterfront from Beacon Hill, Seattle, circa 1898

The area south of downtown Seattle was originally made up of tidal flats; soil dredged from the Duwamish River and sluiced from the Denny triangle and Beacon Hill regrades was used to create this industrial area needed by area businesses and railroads. This image, taken between 1890-1900, shows what much of Seattle's waterfront looked like before the tidal flats were…
ID Number:SHS462
Date:Circa 1898
Image of Jackson Street looking east from waterfront, Seattle, circa 1892
Photograph

Jackson Street looking east from waterfront, Seattle, circa 1892

The topography of Seattle neighborhood now called the Chinatown - International District (CID) was altered drastically during the Jackson Street regrade from 1907 to 1909. About fifty-six city blocks were reshaped by the regrade, twenty-nine of them excavated and twenty-seven raised above the tide flats. On Jackson, dirt was mostly removed to lower the street nearly 90 feet at 9th…
ID Number:SHS469
Date:Circa 1892
Image of Seattle's downtown before the Great Fire, Seattle, 1883
Photograph

Seattle's downtown before the Great Fire, Seattle, 1883

n the 1880s, Seattle's business district was near Pioneer Square. Loggers, miners, and others came to this part of the city to find work, supplies, and entertainment. Others came to Seattle to attend the Territorial University, which stood on a hill above the city.This photo, taken around 1884, shows the intersection of Commercial Street (now First Avenue South) and Main…
ID Number:SHS470
Date:1880
Image of Photo of map of Seattle before fire, 1889
Photograph

Photo of map of Seattle before fire, 1889

Seattle in the 1880s was a rapidly growing city, aided in no small part by the 1883 connection with the Northern Pacific Railway Company. Lumber and coal were the primary industries, but the growth of fishing, wholesale trade, shipbuilding, and shipping also contributed to the town's economic expansion and population growth. The Seattle City Census of 1888 records population at…
ID Number:SHS483B
Date:1889
Image of Regrading on Third Avenue near Spring Street, Seattle, 1906
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
Image of Pike Street, looking east from west of Second Avenue, Seattle, circa 1898
Photograph

Pike Street, looking east from west of Second Avenue, Seattle, circa 1898

At the turn of the 19th century, businesses near the intersection of Second Avenue and Pike Street included a laundry, a barber shop, a hotel, a tobacco store, a restaurant, and a public bath. One sign of the future is the one-story Bon Marche Department Store (center right, beyond the awning), which opened at the southwest corner of Second and…
ID Number:SHS644
Date:Circa 1898
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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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