This image of the construction of the Wilsonian Apartment Hotel in Seattle was taken on February 19, 1923. The Wilsonian, located in Seattle's University District on the northeast corner of University Way NE and NE 47th Street, was the crowning achievement of real-estate developers Corinne Simpson Wilson (1867-1929) and her husband and business partner, George Washington Wilson (1878-1928). The Wilson's ambition for their hotel was to be the most elegant apartment hotel of its time outside of New York City. Visible on the hillside behind the building site is University Christian Church, continuously operating since 1901 at 15th and 47th.
The Wilsonian opened on November 26, 1923, costing $850,000 to build, and was completed by general contractors Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company, a major contributor to the construction of the Pacific Northwest.
Inscribed on recto: -2-19-23- Signs in image: Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co., Engineering & Construction; Frank H. Fowler, Architect and Engineer Handwritten on verso: Contract 835 Photographer's number: 27885
Physical Description: 1 photographic print mounted on linen : b&w ; 7.5 x 9.5 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State. View the finding aid for this collection at https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv08561
Credit: MOHAI, H.W. McCurdy Collection on the Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Co., 1955.970.500.36.3
