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.
Central Building, ca. 1907
Designed by C.R. Aldrich, the Central Building was completed in 1907. At the time of construction, 3rd Ave. was being regraded to establish a more gentle slope and allow a retail core to take hold in the downtown area. The Central Building served several purposes, providing much needed office space for businesses.
Identifier: spl_pc_00231
Date: 1907?
View this itemView east from James St. and Yesler Way, ca. 1915
Transcribed from postcard: "Looking up James Street at the left. Yesler Way at the right from Pioneer Square. Showing the 42 Story L.C. Smith Building Seattle, U.S.A." The Seattle Hotel, which appears in the center of the image, 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 and was converted into an office building in the early 1900's. 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. The Smith Tower, which appears in the background, was constructed in 1914 by the architecture firm Gaggin and Gaggin. It was the tallest building in Seattle until the construction of the Space Needle in 1962.
Identifier: spl_pc_00213
Date: 1915?
View this itemFederal Building at 3rd Ave. and Union St., ca. 1909
Street view of the Federal Building in downtown Seattle (also known as the U.S. Court House, Custom House and Post Office Building). Construction on the Federal Building 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_00410
Date: 1909?
View this itemKing 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.) 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_01003
Date: 1906?
View this itemSt. 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?
View this itemAlaska 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?
View this itemPerry 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?
View this itemOlympic 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?
View this itemSmith 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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