One of Seattle’s seven hills, First Hill was city’s first “neighborhood” to be settled in the 1870s. Rising 366 feet above Elliott Bay, the once-forested slope was an easy walk to the city’s commercial district. By 1883, the hill entered a new era as the retreat of its “first families,” including mayors, judges, industrialists, timber barons, and art collectors. Over the years, numerous churches, apartment buildings, workers’ housing, hotels, social clubs, and hospitals added to the area’s architecture, creating a visual, cultural and economic tapestry and a unique sense of place.
This image shows the intersection of Terry and Columbia Streets on First Hill, and looks northeast. Taken from the Coppins Waterworks at 9th Avenue and Terry in the early 1890s, this photo reveals the early diversity of housing on First Hill, showing a mix of mansions, row-houses and apartments.
Caption information source: "Take a quick trip through the history of First Hill" by Lawrence Kreisman, Seattle Times, November 7, 2014 retrieved at http://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/take-a-quick-trip-through-the-history-of-first-hill Caption information source: Seattle Now and Then: Row Houses on Broadway retrieved at https://pauldorpat.com/2016/05/21/seattle-now-then-row-of-houses-on-broadway
ID Number: SHS1006
Date: Circa 1895
Physical Description: 1 photographic print: b&w ; 4.5 x 9 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.
