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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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_00904
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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Alaska Building, ca. 1910
The Alaska Building, constructed between 1903 and 1904, was the first building in Seattle to be built with a steel frame. At 14 stories high, it was the tallest building in Seattle until the construction of the Hoge Building in 1911.
Identifier: spl_pc_00206
Date: 1910
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Bow Lake Trailer Town, ca. 1960
Transcribed from postcard: "18050 32nd Ave., So. Ch 4 4755. Across U.S. 99 from Sea-Tac International Airport. Mobile living as its best. The only 5 star park in the northwest."
Identifier: spl_pc_00101
Date: 1960
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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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Olympic Hotel, ca. 1930
The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, originally the Olympic Hotel, was built in 1924. The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Identifier: spl_pc_00809
Date: 1930
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Alaska Building, ca. 1905
The Alaska Building, constructed between 1903 and 1904, was the first building in Seattle to be built with a steel frame. At 14 stories high, it was the tallest building in Seattle until the construction of the Hoge Building in 1911.
Identifier: spl_pc_00226
Date: 1905
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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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A Vista from Pergola of Hotel Lincoln, Seattle, Wash., ca. 1909
Hotel Lincoln was constructed in 1900 at the intersection of 4th Avenue and Madison Street. The hotel was destroyed by fire in 1920.
Identifier: spl_pc_00819
Date: 1909
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Westward Motel & Gift Shop, ca. 1965
Street view of the Westward Motel and Gift Shop located on Aurora Avenue in Shoreline. Owned and operated by Bill and Mildred Rother.
Identifier: spl_pc_00813
Date: 1965
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