Seattle Historic Postcard Collection
Preview up to 100 items from this collection below. Highlights of early 20th century Seattle, as depicted through our historic postcards. Cards include images of buildings, attractions and events from the 1900s to the 1960s along with messages between friends and family.
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King Street Station interior, ca.
Transcribed from postcard: "Interior of Union Depot." During the early 1900's, there was increasing interest in connecting railroads with Seattle. The high demand and competition between railways resulted in two railway stations being built directly next to each other at 4th Avenue and Jackson Street. King Street Station (the interior of which is depicted in this postcard) was constructed in 1906 and can be distinguished by its tower. Union Station, originally known as the Oregon and Washington Station, was constructed in 1911. Confusingly, both stations were sometimes referred to as "union stations" or "union depots" due to the fact that multiple railroad lines were shared within the same terminal. For a good example of the differences between Union Station and King Street Station see spl_pc_01011 where Union Station appears in the foreground and King Street Station appears in the background.
Identifier: spl_pc_01007
Date: 1911
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Leaves, Olympic National Park, September 1967
Olympic National Park leaves
Identifier:
Date: 1967-09
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King Street Station, ca. 1911
During the early 1900s, there was increasing interest in connecting railroads with Seattle. The high demand and competition between railways resulted in two railway stations being built directly next to each other at 4th Avenue and Jackson Street. King Street Station (which is depicted in this postcard) was constructed in 1906 and can be distinguished by its tower. Union Station, originally known as the Oregon and Washington Station, was constructed in 1911. (Alternative names for Union Station include the Union Depot and the Northern Pacific Great Northern Depot.) Confusingly, both stations were sometimes referred to as "union stations" due to the fact that multiple railroad lines were shared within the same terminal. For a good example of the differences between Union Station and King Street Station see spl_pc_01011 where Union Station appears in the foreground and King Street Station appears in the background.
Identifier: spl_pc_01013
Date: 1911
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New Washington Hotel, ca. 1909
Transcribed from spl_pc_00802: "In the heart of the theatrical and shopping district. Seattle's leading commercial & tourist hotel, all rooms with private bath. Tariff $3.00 per day and up. J.C. Marmaduke, Manager H.R. Warner. Ass't. Manager."
Identifier: spl_pc_00823
Date: 1909?
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King Street Station, ca. 1906
During the early 1900s, there was increasing interest in connecting railroads with Seattle. The high demand and competition between railways resulted in two railway stations being built directly next to each other at 4th Avenue and Jackson Street. King Street Station (which is depicted in this postcard) was constructed in 1906 and can be distinguished by its tower. Union Station, originally known as the Oregon and Washington Station, was constructed in 1911. (Alternative names for Union Station include the Union Depot and the Northern Pacific Great Northern Depot.) The postcard captioning can be confusing because both stations were sometimes referred to as "union stations" due to the fact that multiple railroad lines were shared within the same terminal. For a good example of the differences between Union Station and King Street Station see spl_pc_01011 where Union Station appears in the foreground and King Street Station appears in the background.
Identifier: spl_pc_01002
Date: 1906?
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Hotel Lincoln, 1904
Hotel Lincoln was constructed in 1900 at the corner of 4th Avenue and Madison Street. The hotel was destroyed in a fire in 1920.
Identifier: spl_pc_00804
Date: 1904
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Seattle Mail and Herald, v. 4, no. 41, Aug. 24, 1901
Page 1 includes portrait of Gilbert M. Butterworth, secretary of Butterworth's Mortuary. Page 2 includes photograph of a Klamath baby in a pappoose. Page 3 includes photo of large tree in Ravenna Park. Page 6-7 includes photographs of Mrs. R.A. Smith, Mrs., C.A. Murdock and Mrs M.F. Knight, three of the eleven female superindents in Washington. Page 9 discusses placement of a new federal building at 3rd Ave. and Union St. Page 8 article discusses placement of the new Seattle Public Library.
Identifier: spl_mh_198239_1901_04_41
Date: 1901-08-24
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Smith Tower, ca. 1914
Transcribed from spl_pc_00215: "Second Ave and the 42 Story L.C. Smith Bldg. Seattle. U.S.A. Eight elevators-two serving the tower. Six hundred Offices. Six stores. Telegraph office on first Floor. Barber Shop, Restaurant, Buffet in Basement, Thirty-fifth Floor furnished in Washington Fir used as an observatory. Exterior, Washington Granite for first two floors; above white glazed terra cotta. Cost: $1,500,000." Smith Tower was constructed in 1914.
Identifier: spl_pc_00212
Date: 1914
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Hotel Seattle at James St. and Yesler Way, March 1, 1907
Located in Pioneer Square at the intersection of Yesler Way, James Street and First Avenue, Hotel Seattle was constructed in 1890. It replaced the Occidental Hotel which burned down in the fire of 1889. In 1891, the building served as home to the Seattle Public Library. Around the time of the construction of the nearby Smith Tower in 1914, Hotel Seattle was converted from hotel use to an office building. By 1961, the building was abandoned and later torn down and replaced with a parking garage. This instigated a historic preservation movement in the Pioneer Square area to preserve other historic buildings before they could be demolished.
Identifier: spl_pc_00820
Date: 1907-03-01
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Swedish Tabernacle at Bellevue Ave. and E. Pike St., ca. 1915
Located at the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Pike Street, construction on the Swedish Tabernacle Church was completed in 1906 under the guidance of the architect, John A. Creutzer.
Identifier: spl_pc_00314
Date: 1915?
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