The Rainier Club was incorporated as a private "gentleman's club" in1888 by Seattle civic and business leaders. The club's building was designed by Kirtland Cutter (1860-1939) and opened on September 30, 1904, after a fire on March 1, 1904, had delayed construction. Beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, club membership criteria was expanded to include both women and people of color. As of 2019 the club building still stands at 820 Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle.

This image of the exterior of the Rainier Club was taken facing south east at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Marion Street in downtown Seattle. It was probably taken about the time of the building's opening in 1904, and couldn't have been taken much later than 1906 as the image does not show the First United Methodist Church. The Church's domed building (now The Sanctuary) was constructed between 1907 and 1910 at Fifth Avenue and Marion Street.

Visible at the right edge of the frame is the central tower of the King County Courthouse on First Hill at Seventh Avenue and Alder Street, which was completed in 1890 and demolished in the 1930s.

Handwritten on sleeve: Rainier Club.
Webster & Stevens number: 2607

Caption information source: "Rainier Club (Seattle)," by Walt Crowley, HistoryLink.org Essay 2959.
Caption information source: http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/5185
Caption information source: "Rainier Club to Open Tonight: Big Reception Will Be Given by the Members in New Home," The Seattle Daily Times, September 30, 1904.