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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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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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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Medical Dental Building, ca. 1925
The Medical Dental Building was constructed in 1925 and expanded in 1950. Initial plans for expansion during the 1930s were put on hold due to the Great Depression. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
Identifier: spl_pc_00900
Date: 1925?
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Smith Tower at night, ca. 1928
Transcribed from postcard: "This great building with 600 offices with exterior trim of bronze and interior of steel, finished to resemble highly grained mahogany. Besides possessing every convenience required in the business day, has a Chinese Room adjoining and opening onto the observation balcony. This magnificent room is highly decorated in heavy and finely carved Chinese Teakwood, wrought by native workmen, embellished with myriads of porcelain panels in varying designs, replicas of those in ancient Chinese Temples. No room in America is more gorgeous, visited each day by thousands who are afforded a beautiful vista of Seattle, the bay and lakes and the snow capped mountain ranges, with Mount Rainier and Mount Baker in the distance."
Identifier: spl_pc_00201
Date: 1928?
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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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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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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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Providence Hospital, ca. 1911
Between 1907 and 1912, Seattle's Providence Hospital built a large new brick building, at a cost of one million dollars. Designed by Somervell & Cote, it was a full-service hospital with six operating rooms and a nursing school.
Identifier: spl_pc_00907
Date: 1911
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St. James Cathedral, ca. 1909
Transcribed from postcard: "St. James Cathedral. One of the most imposing and costly sacred edifices west of New York. The towers can be seen from any part of the city."
Identifier: spl_pc_00301
Date: 1909?
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