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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Seattle Railway Depots and Southern Business District, Seattle, Washington, April 15, 1940
View looking north of Seattle Railway Depots and downtown Seattle. King Street Station (with the tower) appears on the left and Union Station appears on the right. Smith Tower can be seen in the background.
Identifier: spl_pc_01000
Date: 1940-04-15
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St. James Cathedral, ca. 1910
Bishop Edward O'Dea purchased the land for St. James Cathedral's First Hill site in 1903 after successfully petitioning the Pope to relocate the episcopal see from Vancouver, Washington to Seattle. The cornerstone for the building was laid in 1905 with more than 5,000 people in attendance and the cathedral officially opened on December 15, 1907.
Identifier: spl_pc_00312
Date: 1910?
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Hotel Seattle at James St. and Yesler Way, ca. 1903
Located in Pioneer Square at the intersection of Yesler Way, James Street and First Avenue, Hotel Seattle (also known as the Seattle Hotel) 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_00822
Date: 1903?
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Come by Sail, Rail, or Hit the Trail! The Golden Potlatch, June 14, 1911
Postcard advertising the Golden Potlatch Festival, featuring three images on front showing the Seattle waterfront, a forest road and King Street Station. Transcribed from postcard: "A Hot Time in a Cool Place - Come! Seattle's Great Carnival Week of July 17th, 1911 Welcome!" Printed on back of postcard: "51. July 17, 1897, the steamer Portland arrived in Seattle bringing $500,000 in gold dust, the first proof of the rich strikes in the North. Within twenty-four hours the greatest gold rush of modern time was under way."
Identifier: spl_pc_36038
Date: 1911-06-14
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New York Block, ca. 1907
The New York Block, constructed between 1890 and 1892, was located at the corner of Cherry Street and Second Avenue.
Identifier: spl_pc_00230
Date: 1907
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Smith Tower, ca. 1915
Transcribed from postcard: "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."
Identifier: spl_pc_00216
Date: 1915?
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Perry Apartments, ca. 1909
Located at Madison Street and Boren Avenue, the Perry Hotel, also known as the Perry Apartments, was built in 1907. In 1916, the building was renovated to become the Columbus Sanitarium and renamed once again to Cabrini Hospital in the 1960s. The building was demolished in 1996.
Identifier: spl_pc_00806
Date: 1909
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4th Ave. and University St., ca. 1915
The White-Henry-Stuart Building (constructed 1908-1915 and demolished in 1974) appears on the right and the Cobb Building (completed in 1910) appears on the left.
Identifier: spl_pc_00203
Date: 1915?
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Federal Building at 3rd Ave. and Union St., ca. 1910
Street view of the Federal Building in downtown Seattle with the White-Henry-Stuart Building and the Pantages Theatre in the background. Construction on the Federal Building (also known as the U.S. Court House, Custom House and Post Office) began in 1903 and ended in 1908. The building was located at the intersection of Union Street and Third Avenue, which was being regraded at the time. The Third Avenue regrade left a gap of four feet down to the new sidewalk which resulted in a new set of stairs being added to the building's exterior. The building was demolished in 1958.
Identifier: spl_pc_00413
Date: 1910?
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Scottish Rite Cathedral at Broadway and Harvard Ave., ca. 1911
Street view of the Scottish Rite Cathedral which was once located at the corner of Broadway and Harvard. Building construction cost $65,000 and was completed in 1911 under the supervision of architect Frank Allen. The building served as a meeting place for freemasons in the Seattle area. The Scottish Rite group moved to a new building in the 1960's at 1155 Broadway East but that building has since also been demolished.
Identifier: spl_pc_00315
Date: 1911?
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