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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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381 results for: Seattle Construction Company

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Image of New York Block and Alaska Building, Seattle, circa 1910
Photograph

New York Block and Alaska Building, Seattle, circa 1910

The New York Block was one of a number of brick and stone buildings built just after Seattle's Great Fire of 1889. It was seven stories tall and was located at the northeast corner of Second Avenue and Cherry Street. The 14-story Alaska Building across the street was built in 1904. This office building was Seattle's first skyscraper to be…
ID Number:1983.10.8968
Date:Circa 1910
Image of Exterior of Sears, Roebuck & Company warehouse, Seattle, circa 1915
Photograph

Exterior of Sears, Roebuck & Company warehouse, Seattle, circa 1915

Chicago-based mail order firm Sears, Roebuck & Company opened its first Seattle warehouse about 1910 in the Pioneer Square neighborhood. By 1913 the company had completed construction on a new seven-story reinforced concrete warehouse and distribution center closer to the rail yards south of downtown. The following year Sears announced plans for a huge addition to the distribution center, designed…
ID Number:1983.10.10166
Date:Circa 1915
Image of Seattle Cedar mill, circa 1916
Photograph

Seattle Cedar mill, circa 1916

The Seattle Cedar Lumber Manufacturing Company had a large mill in Ballard, just to the west of the Ballard Bridge. Logs were floated to the mill, and kept in the water until they were cut. The rough lumber was then stacked to dry before it was planed and sold.This photo, taken around 1916, shows the tall smokestack and piles of…
ID Number:1983.10.10353
Date:Circa 1916
Image of Spectators at opening of Lake Washington Ship Canal, Seattle, July 4, 1917
Photograph

Spectators at opening of Lake Washington Ship Canal, Seattle, July 4, 1917

The Lake Washington Ship Canal opened for business on July 4, 1917, after six years of construction. The opening was the high point of Seattle's Fourth of July celebration. In this photo, spectators crowd the banks of Lake Union to watch the parade of several hundred boats passing through the new canals. It is likely that the photographer was standing…
ID Number:1983.10.10570
Date:1917
Image of Launching of Alician at Todd Shipyards, Seattle, 1924
Photograph

Launching of Alician at Todd Shipyards, Seattle, 1924

Todd Shipyards (now Vigor Shipyards) was founded in 1916 as the William H. Todd Corporation through the merger of several companies, including the Seattle Construction and Dry Dock Company, the origins of which were established in 1882 when Robert Moran opened a marine repair shop at Yesler's Wharf. This image shows the launch of a new pleasure yacht, the Alician,…
ID Number:1983.10.11658.2
Date:1924
Image of Yacht Pirate sailing on Lake Union, Seattle, April 7, 1926
Photograph

Yacht Pirate sailing on Lake Union, Seattle, April 7, 1926

The R-class racing yacht "Pirate" was designed by Ted Geary and built by the Lake Union Drydock Company in 1926. The Pirate was built for Tommy Lee, son of Los Angeles yachtsman Don Lee, as a reward for winning the Pacific Coast Star Championship in 1925, and embodies the most advanced skills and talents in both yacht design and yacht…
ID Number:1983.10.12357.2
Date:1926
Videorecording

Oral history interview with Palmer G. Lewis, September 4, 1985

Palmer G. Lewis (1904-1994) founded one of the nation's major independent building-material distributorships, the Palmer G. Lewis Co., of Auburn. Mr. Lewis started his business in 1940 in Seattle, travelling to Alaska to sell building products for supply companies to the growing population there. Total sales grew from $40,000 that first year into the millions. The company eventually became a…
ID Number:1985.135.15
Date:1985
Videorecording

Oral history interview with Horace W. McCurdy, January 18, 1985

Horace Winslow (“H.W.”) McCurdy (1899-1989) was a maritime construction executive, civic leader, and avid supporter of maritime research in the Pacific Northwest. A Washington native, McCurdy was born and raised in Port Townsend, and attended University of Washington in Seattle and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After graduating in 1922, he got a job at the Puget Sound Bridge…
ID Number:1985.135.17
Date:1985
Videorecording

Oral history interview with David E. "Ned" Skinner, August 12, 1985

David E. "Ned" Skinner II (1920-1988) was a shipping heir and philanthropist in Seattle. He was the grandson of David E. Skinner (1867-1933) of the Skinner & Eddy shipyard, the Pacific Steamship Co., and the Port Blakely Mill. Skinner was born in Seattle, attended the Lakeside School, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1942. During World War, Skinner served in…
ID Number:1985.135.25
Date:1985
Image of Aerial view, looking northwest, of the construction of the Space Needle, Seattle, 1961
Photograph

Aerial view, looking northwest, of the construction of the Space Needle, Seattle, 1961

Designed by architect John Graham, the Space Needle is easily the most recognizable structure built for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition (Seattle World's Fair). The Space Needle was built in less than one year for 4.5 million dollars by the Howard S. Wright Construction Company. The top of the Needle is 605 feet high, with the main observation deck at…
ID Number:1986.5.2794.1
Date:1961
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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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