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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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357 results for: Homes and Housing

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Image of Meadow Creek, Washington, circa 1917
Postcard

Meadow Creek, Washington, circa 1917

The Keechelus Dam, at the south end of Lake Keechelus, was completed in 1917. For several summers, dam construction workers lived at a camp called Meadow Creek. The temporary town had a post office, school, store, YMCA, and several other businesses. Almost everyone left during the winter, except for about 25 families who stayed on to take care of the…
ID Number:1981.7333.111
Date:Circa 1917
Image of Cobblestone miniature house at Alki, circa 1925
Photograph

Cobblestone miniature house at Alki, circa 1925

Seattle has had its share of odd buildings. In West Seattle, at the north end of Beach Drive, someone built a tiny house covered with stones. In the 1930s, Ripley's "Believe It or Not" supposedly described it as the "smallest, complete modern house in the United States, equipped with elevator, fireplace, and bathroom." This photo shows the house and its…
ID Number:1983.10.211
Date:Circa 1925
Image of Boy on post in front of house in Madrona neighborhood, Seattle, circa 1924
Photograph

Boy on post in front of house in Madrona neighborhood, Seattle, circa 1924

Tthis house typifies the so-called decorated box style of home that was very popular in Seattle neighborhoods during the first decade of the twentieth century. Handwritten on sleeve: [McSternus] [Pe.] Ext.Webster & Stevens number: 104013
ID Number:1983.10.216.2
Date:Circa 1924
Image of Hardwood floor inside Seattle Times model home, Seattle, June 17, 1925
Photograph

Hardwood floor inside Seattle Times model home, Seattle, June 17, 1925

In 1925 the Seattle Times sponsored a model house at 1400 Terry Street. The furnished, Tudor-style cottage gave visitors a chance to see the latest ideas in home building and home decoration. This photo features floors laid by Standard Hardwood Floor Co. Sign in image: Hardwood Floors [Laid?] by Standard Hardwood Floor Co. Handwritten on sleeve: Times Model House 6-17-25.Webster…
ID Number:1983.10.513.2
Date:1925
Image of Seattle Times Model Home, circa 1925
Photograph

Seattle Times Model Home, circa 1925

Around 1925, the Seattle Times sponsored a model house at 1400 Terry Street. The furnished, Tudor-style cottage gave visitors a chance to see the latest ideas in home building and home decoration. Typical details of the Tudor style include the steep roof, rounded doorway, and a large front gable with decorative beams at the peak.This photo shows the exterior of…
ID Number:1983.10.516.2
Date:Circa 1925
Image of Electric stove in the Times Model Home, circa 1925
Photograph

Electric stove in the Times Model Home, circa 1925

Around 1925, the Seattle Times sponsored a model house at 1400 Terry Street. The furnished, Tudor-style cottage gave visitors a chance to see the latest ideas in home building and home decoration. This photo shows the latest in electric stoves in the kitchen of the Seattle Times Model Home in about 1925.Sears Roebuck's Seattle catalog first started advertising electric kitchen…
ID Number:1983.10.516.5
Date:Circa 1925
Image of Houses under construction at Queen Anne Park, April 19, 1927
Photograph

Houses under construction at Queen Anne Park, April 19, 1927

Queen Anne Hill, northwest of Seattle's downtown, became a popular place to live as the city grew. Queen Anne Park, on the northwest side of the hill, was started in 1926 and was the last major housing development in the area before the Depression. In this 1927 photo, houses are under construction at Queen Anne Park on Queen Anne Hill.…
ID Number:1983.10.700.1
Date:1927
Image of Sisters of Providence at King County Poor Farm, circa 1927
Photograph

Sisters of Providence at King County Poor Farm, circa 1927

In 1854, Washington's legislature made counties responsible for caring for all poor, sick, and homeless people whose relatives could not support them. Counties could build workhouses or poor farms and contract out the care of sick and indigent adults. From 1877 to 1887, King County contracted with the Sisters of Charity of Providence, a Roman Catholic order, to operate a…
ID Number:1983.10.765
Date:Circa 1927
Image of New homes on Capitol Hill, Seattle, circa 1915
Photograph

New homes on Capitol Hill, Seattle, circa 1915

Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood is part of a long ridge that overlooks downtown, and was logged off beginning in the 1880s. The neighborhood's chief developer, James Moore (1861-1929), gave the hill its name in 1901.This view of newly constructed craftsman-style houses was taken at what appears to be 18th Avenue NE and E Galer Street. The residences may have been…
ID Number:1983.10.1538.10
Date:Circa 1915
Image of Houses on Mercer Island, 1920
Photograph

Houses on Mercer Island, 1920

The first settlers arrived on Mercer Island, in Lake Washington, in the 1870s. By the early 1920s, there were homes, gardens, farms, orchards, dairies, and pastures. Some areas were still being logged for the first time. People and goods traveled to the island by steamer or ferry. The first car arrived in 1914, but it wasn't until 1923 that anyone…
ID Number:1983.10.1932.2
Date:1920
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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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