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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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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Perry Hotel, ca. 1910
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_00817
Date: 1910
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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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King County Courthouse, ca, 1905
View of the second King County Courthouse, built in 1890 and torn down in the 1930s, which was located at 7th Ave. and Alder St.. A new King County Courthouse was constructed in 1917 on 3rd Ave. in order to be closer to the business district.
Identifier: spl_pc_00400
Date: 1905
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Cherry St. east from 1st Ave., ca. 1907
The 110 Cherry Building (also known as the Scheuerman Building, completed in 1903) appears on the left side of the street. The Bailey Building (completed in 1892), Western Union office and the Alaska Building (completed in 1904) appear on the right. The streetcar at the center of the image includes a Bon Marche advertisement.
Identifier: spl_pc_00227
Date: 1907
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Seattle waterfront, ca. 1915
Transcribed from front of postcard: "Seaport of Seattle, showing the 42 Story L.C. Smith Building and central portion of Water Front." Transcribed from back of postcard: "42- Story L.C. Smith Building Seattle. Great View from Observation Floor and Balcony."
Identifier: spl_pc_00211
Date: 1915
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University National Bank of Seattle, ca. 1915
Transcribed from postcard: "University National Bank of Seattle Financial Headquarters from Seattle's Great North End." The building was constructed in 1912.
Identifier: spl_pc_00200
Date: 1915
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Union Station interior, ca. 1915
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 (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_01008
Date: 1915
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Benjamin Franklin Hotel, ca. 1929
The Benjamin Franklin Hotel was built in 1929. It was designed by architect Gardner J. Gwinn and featured 14 stories with 359 rooms. It was demolished in 1980 to make way for the second tower of the Westin Hotel.
Identifier: spl_pc_00801
Date: 1929
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