Seattle in the early 1890s was a rapidly growing city. The Seattle City Census of 1888 records population at 19,116, and although 1889's Great Fire leveled 116 acres in the heart of the city's business district, by 1890 the city's population actually grew to 40,000 inhabitants from the influx of people helping to recreate the city. Lumber and coal were the primary industries, but the growth of fishing, wholesale trade, shipbuilding, and shipping also contributed to the town's economic expansion and population growth.

This image of Columbia Street from Third Avenue faces east towards First Hill. The large building at the top of the hill in the center of the frame is the Rainier Hotel, located on 5th Avenue between Marion Street and Columbia Street. The hotel was rushed to completion in just a few months so that it would be ready to serve the anticipated influx of visitors to Seattle after the 1889 fire. It was razed in 1910. The large building at the left of the frame is the Central School, located on Madison Street between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue. This building, now referred to as Central School II, opened in 1889, housing 22 teachers and 862 pupils. The building served area students until 1938, and was demolished in 1953.

Signs in image: Columbia House; Eureka Bakery and Confectionery; Millinery; O. Cruse & Son, Builders & Contractors, Store Office & Saloon Fittings, General Jobbing; Tailor Shop, Fine Tailoring, Cleaning, Altering; Hardware Tools & C.; Shorey Block; Undertakers
Handwritten on verso: Looking east on Columbia from Third ave. No later than 1892.

Caption information source: http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/18212
Caption information source: Ochsner, J. K. (2014). Shaping Seattle architecture: A historical guide to the architects (2nd ed.). Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press.
Caption information source: "Seattle Public Schools, 1862-2000: Central School II," HistoryLink.org Essay 10482