One of Seattle's early residents, Horace Chapin Henry (1844-1928) was a businessperson who made a fortune with building contractor Henry Balch when they formed Henry and Balch, a construction company that won many contracts for railroads and roads throughout the United States. Work brought Henry to Seattle in late 1891, and he began to make investments in local businesses, later becoming a Vice-President of the National Bank of Commerce.

This image shows Henry's home with his wife, Susan (Johnson) Henry (1854-1921), and children Langdon, Paul, Walter, and Florence at 1117 Harvard Avenue North in the Harvard-Belmont District on First Hill. Built in 1894 (some sources say 1901 or 1904) by architects Arthur Bishop Chamberlin and Carl Siebrand, the imposing three-story house was the first of many built in the neighborhood for the social elite. In 1926 the Henrys donated their large art collection, formerly kept at home and opened to the public for display, along with $100,000 to the University of Washington for the construction of the Henry Art Gallery, Washington State's first art museum. In 1934 the Henry sons donated the mansion and property to the City of Seattle, which sold them to fund the 1948 construction of Seattle Public Library's Susan J. Henry Branch.

Caption information source: Hoggson, Noble (1960). A Biography of Horace Chapin Henry, 1844-1928. Seattle: The Craftsman Press
Caption information source: http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/8530