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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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406 results for: Construction and Urban Planning

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Image of Men with horse team on First Avenue, Seattle, circa 1890
Photograph

Men with horse team on First Avenue, Seattle, circa 1890

In this image, a group of men pose with a horse-drawn wagon on the boardwalk along First Avenue just past Cherry Street. The wagon appears to be carrying a large slab of marble or other stone, perhaps part of the reconstruction efforts after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, when rebuilding efforts favored steel, stone, and brick construction over the…
ID Number:1980.6923.41
Date:Circa 1890
Image of Workmen posing with stone slab, Seattle, circa 1890
Photograph

Workmen posing with stone slab, Seattle, circa 1890

In this image stone carvers, with their wooden mallets and chisels, pose with a large slab; notes on the image indicate the slab's size but not its function. Perhaps the slab was an element of a new building under construction in the aftermath of the 1889 Great Fire, when the rebuilding effort favored steel, stone, and brick construction over the…
ID Number:1980.6923.65
Date:Circa 1890
Image of Southwest view of Seattle after fire, July 1889
Photograph

Southwest view of Seattle after fire, July 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, destroying 100 acres of Seattle's business district and waterfront. The city didn't take much time to mourn; most businesses decided to rebuild where they had been, and rebuilding began almost immediately, creating a building…
ID Number:1980.6923.118
Date:1889
Image of South-facing view of Seattle after fire, July 1889
Photograph

South-facing view of Seattle after fire, July 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, destroying 100 acres of Seattle's business district and waterfront. The city didn't take much time to mourn; most businesses decided to rebuild where they had been, and rebuilding began almost immediately, creating a building…
ID Number:1980.6923.122
Date:1889
Image of Drawing of Orpheum theater, Seattle, circa 1927
Drawing

Drawing of Orpheum theater, Seattle, circa 1927

Seattle's Orpheum Theatre opened August 25, 1927, and was heralded as one of the finest vaudeville and "photoplay" houses on the West Coast. Designed in Spanish Renaissance style by the famous architect B. Marcus Priteca, the building stood at the corner of 5th and Stewart until 1967, when it was destroyed for construction of the Washington Plaza Hotel. This pen…
ID Number:1980.7021.62.3
Date:Circa 1927
Image of Central Building under construction, Seattle, October 31, 1907
Photograph

Central Building under construction, Seattle, October 31, 1907

This image was taken during construction of the Central Building at Third Avenue and Marion Street in downtown Seattle, which was completed in 1909 and still stands as of 2017. Designed by local architect Charles Ronald Aldrich (1866-1939), the building utilized a steel frame and reinforced concrete intended to ensure the building withstood fires and earthquakes. The image was taken…
ID Number:1980.7134.18
Date:1907
Image of Men in Metro Sewer project pipe, Seattle, February 1962
Photograph

Men in Metro Sewer project pipe, Seattle, February 1962

The Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, commonly known as Metro, was designed to provide regional solutions for the problems of King County's fast-growing metropolitan area. In 1958, after rejecting a proposal for an agency with authority over a range of issues, voters approved a plan authorizing Metro to deal with a single pressing problem -- wastewater treatment. Over the next decade,…
ID Number:1981.7227.7.1
Date:1962
Image of Metro Quarterly, April 1964
Ephemera

Metro Quarterly, April 1964

The Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, commonly known as Metro, was designed to provide regional solutions for the problems of King County's fast-growing metropolitan area. In 1958, after rejecting a proposal for an agency with authority over a range of issues, voters approved a plan authorizing Metro to deal with a single pressing problem -- wastewater treatment. Over the next decade,…
ID Number:1981.7227.11
Date:1964
Image of Map of the City of Seattle and Adjacent Territory, Bogue Map No. 3, 1911
Cartographic material

Map of the City of Seattle and Adjacent Territory, Bogue Map No. 3, 1911

Virgil Gay Bogue (1846-1916) was a civil engineer, originally from Norfolk, New York, who after working briefly as assistant engineer in Brooklyn, New York, and 10 years working with railroads in Peru, came to the Washington Territory in the 1880s as an employee of the Northern Pacific Railway. After a stint at the Union Pacific Railroad, Bogue started his own…
ID Number:1981.7231.17
Date:1911
Image of Puddle backfill, Keechelus Dam, circa 1917
Postcard

Puddle backfill, Keechelus Dam, circa 1917

East of the Cascade Mountains, rainfall is unpredictable and farming is difficult without a steady supply of water. As early as 1890, various private irrigation projects tried to remedy this by diverting water from the mountains to the dry land below. By 1906, the United States Bureau of Reclamation had bought several reservoir sites, including Lake Keechelus. This photo, taken…
ID Number:1981.7333.78
Date:Circa 1917
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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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