Seattle’s Self-Preservation

1. Seattle’s Self-Preservation Grace Amos . Winter 09’ . CHID250 . Secret Histories of Seattle

2. A Tour of Our Past: Seattle’s Historical Districts Though the Historic Preservation Program of the City of Seattle protects some of Seattle’s oldest relicts, the founding of the this outstanding program is relatively young. In the 1960’s,downtown, urban development plans posed to replace two of Seattle’s greatest landmarks: Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square, with high-rise business complexes, freeways, retail and living space. Outraged community members came together to stop the demolition altogether and by 1973, the City of Seattle adopted a Landmark Preservation Ordinance to protect buildings and other objects of historical significance. • Under the Department of Neighborhoods, the Historic Preservation Program now lists over 230 sites around the city which are permanently protected from destruction. In addition, seven Historic Districts were established for their individual importance and contribution to Seattle’s cultural history. The historical appearance, preservation, and restoration are managed both by the City and local committees. • Without those outraged community members in the 1960’s, who knows what Seattle would look like now? • Let’s take a look at what they saved for you…

3. Ballard Avenue Think of the original Ballard as a mini- Scandinavian colony. Before this borough was Ballard, it was hundreds of acres of wilderness on the shoreline of Salmon Bay. Captain William Ballard, with his sights on the fish and big cash, attracted herds of Scandinavian settlers to pioneer the land. A booming lumber industry sprouted, as well, since the wilderness that needed to be “improved” by the Captain’s orders consisted of precious Western Red Cedars. In 1904, over three million cedar shingles were produced a day in Ballard, which provided much of the building materials for further development in Seattle’s other growing neighborhoods. Much of Ballard’s own development such as, shops, boutiques, grocers, and mills, cropped up along the infamous Ballard Avenue. This street was the main hub of Ballard’s urban life until Market Street was constructed and became the new boulevard of modernization. Since Market St.’s consummation, time on Ballard Avenue has all but stood still. In 1976, Ballard Avenue was declared a Historic District by City ordinance, which was signed by the then mayor of Seattle, Wes Uhlman, and King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden.

4. Columbia City Columbia City wasn’t much a city at all until the installation of an electric street car linked this quite village of 300 people with bustling downtown Seattle. Even then, the local economy was slow and the population hardly grew. This all changed when Columbia City built their own trolley station, which set progress in motion. Soon, this tiny village was booming and quickly becoming the lumber and milling capital of the Northwest. Wealthy families from Seattle began to build vacation homes along the sleepy shores of Lake Washington, creating a prestigious neighborhood called The Highlands. Andrew Carnegie, US Steal tycoon and one of the richest men in history, was also a grand philanthropist and donated millions of dollars to cities all over the USA to build schools, performance halls, and libraries. One of these being Columbia City. In 1914, he donated the money to build a beautiful library, which still stands today at the heart of this Historic District.

5. FortLawton The name is a giveaway. Fort Lawton is Seattle’s last standing military base within the city limits (that we know of). Declared a Historic District in 1988, Fort Lawton is no longer an active base and the best preserved buildings are the living quarters of soldiers long gone. Fort Lawton was built on a vantage point in Magnolia above the Puget Sound and the mouth of Elliot Pay. Its intended use was to provide a base for artillery defense against possible naval attacks on Seattle or the South Sound. Prisoners of war were held here during WWII and anti-aircraft missiles were staged during the 1950’s. By the late 1960’s, the Fort was cleared of missiles, prisoners and soldiers, and the military gave 534 of the 703 acres the occupied back to the City of Seattle to create a park. Most of the land was declared open space and a natural preserve, which Seattleites know by the name of Discovery Park.

6. Harvard – Belmont The Harvard-Belmont neighborhood is home to some of the most impressive real estate in all of Seattle, if not the entire State. Truly, these houses are beautiful. By 1900, bankers, shipbuilders, merchants, entrepreneurs, and the affluent alike were flocking to the Western Slope of Capitol Hill to build their custom estates at the hands of the country’s best architects. Whereas much of the rest of the city is built on a grid-like system, the Harvard-Belmont neighborhood is nestled into curving roads and wooded patches. Historians describe these homes as “substantial, well-maintained, and well- established.” Euphemistically, they mean monumental, tremendous, and the envy of every Better Homes and Gardens enthusiast, including myself. Rich architecture is one of the most admired characteristics of Capitol Hill. Several local committees are dedicated to the preservation of these homes and the historical culture of this vibrant neighborhood. A home which is a registered historic site must be preserved to specific standards. Thus, this district continues to attract an extremely wealthy crowd of real estate aficionados who appear as equally passionate as the original owners about maintaining the stature and glory of one of Seattle’s landmark neighborhoods.

7. International District Seattle’s International District was originally a neighborhood built by minority populations who were facing discrimination elsewhere in the city, and turned to each other to create their own community. Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, and African Americans immigrated in waves, each ethnic group bringing their own culture to the heart of Seattle. The City of Seattle declared this area a Historic District in 1973, not in hopes to preserve what was there, but in an effort to rehabilitate it. Many hotels were rundown and closing, businesses were leaving the area, and many of its residents left behind were the poorest in the city. Student rallies to save the Asian heritage of the area actually spurned the ordinance. With the Preservation Ordinance in place, City dollars were pumped into the area to restore shops, hotels, and streetscapes. The Public Arts Department of the City of Seattle has also paired with the Department of Neighborhoods to fuel the cultural preservation of this District, and protect the uniqueness of Seattle’s only established ethnic community.

8. Pike Place Market On its first day of business in 1907, eight farmers came to the area City Council was calling Pike Place Market to sell fresh produce to a crowd of over 10,000 Seattleites. Quickly, the number of farmers vending shot into the hundreds to feed the demand of the Market and boomed through the 20’s, the Depression of the 30’s, and up until WWIII. When the Japanese were interned, the Market lost more than half of its farmers and began to slip into decline. By the 1960’s, developers were recommending to tear down the Market to build an urban Mecca of concrete and glass. Community members formed the “Friends of the Market,” which pushed the city to vote on the matter. Development was voted down, public funds were allocated to the Market for restoration, and the Historic Preservation Program was born! It took 10 years to restore Pike Place Market, $50million in city dollars, and an additional $100million in private investment to make this place what Seattle loves – and shares with millions more of tourists every year. P.S. Restoration starts again April 2009!

9. Pioneer Square Founded in 1852, Pioneer Square is the original downtown of Seattle by default. When settlers arrived in Seattle, it was all hills, marshes and tide flats. Pioneer Square was one of the only flat pieces of solid land where setting up camp was even an option. Henry Yesler quickly established a sawmill by the waterfront, which attracted other business to build up around his. The city was booming when, in 1889, twenty-five blocks of downtown Seattle were scorched to the ground by fire that quickly spread across the wooden buildings of the original downtown. The City mandated that the area be rebuilt with fire resistant materials, and thus construction of the brick/stone buildings which classically mark Pioneer Square began. The core of downtown eventually gravitated North of Pioneer Square and the area become the host to bars, taverns, and questionable after hour activities. Developers, and the City of Seattle, in general let Pioneer Square be Pioneer Square for decades until a famous architect, Ralph Anderson, took interest in the restoration of the old, brick and stone buildings. When it was proposed that a new freeway be built through the area, Anderson quickly raised community awareness and garnered protective historic status. Today, Pioneer Square is blossoming as prime office space for entrepreneurs and artists, and is still the home to a colorful night life.

10. Enjoy the city, hug a preservationist, and get involved in your local neighborhood programs! Thank you.

11. Annotated Bibliography Photo on Introduction Slide: http://www.historicphotoarchive.com/caps/00027.html This is a photo of a sight seeing bus, the bus labeled “Seeing Seattle.” There is no date on the photograph, but the style of the clothing and the crank engine on the bus give some indications. The original print was from a glass negative, which may also give the viewer a clue as to when the photo was taken. I used the photo to represent the “tour” of the historic neighborhoods my project covers. Climb aboard. • Ballard Avenue • Photo: http://www.vintageseattle.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/lake_union_ballard_01.jpg The site, www.VintageSeattle.org, is dedicated to high-resolution, historical images of Seattle. There are tons of amazing, old photographs of historic Seattle that are all available in digital formats. Many of the Ballard photos on the University of Washington Digital Libraries site were locked and could not be exported to the slide show, so vintageseattle.org was the solution. • Columbia City • Photo on top: http://www.seattle.gov/tour/HistoricDistricts/columbia/col-cit-01.htm The Seattle.gov site is the home to entire histories and photo archives of different neighbors, districts, and buildings. Not all of their photos are high resolution, but they have some amazing collections. Photo on bottom: http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/seattle/photos/columbia.jpg National Park Service photo of Columbia City Branch Public Library. Money for construction donated by Andrew Carnegie. • Fort Lawton • Photo: https://www.historicseattle.org/events/eventdetail.aspx?id=227 Historic Seattle is an organization dedicated to the preservation of architecture in Seattle (which fits in perfectly with the this project). This photo was an event advertisement for tours of Discovery Park and Fort Lawton sponsored by the organization. • Harvard- Belmont • Photo: University of Washington Digital Libraries, Photo Collection 232

12. International District • Photos: http://www.seattle.gov/tour/HistoricDistricts/id/index.htm Both of these photos were available on the Seattle City website, but were collected from outside sources. The smaller photo comes from the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) and the larger photo is donated from the collection of Frank O. Shaw. • Pike Place Market • Photo: http://www.seattle.gov/tour/HistoricDistricts/market/index.htm It’s interesting when I look for photos, that many of them are on the Seattle.gov site. The top photo was taken when the market originally opened in 1907, and was borrowed by the city from MOHAI. The bottom photo is a 1940’s postcard snapshot of Pike Place Market. Notice the old cars. This photo is clear and vibrant, as are many from this site. • Pioneer Square • Photo: http://www.historicphotoarchive.com/caps5/00478.html “Totem, Pergola, Pioneer Square. Olympic block in left background. Located at the intersection of James St., Yesler Way and 1st. Ave. This totem was Chief Kinninook's and told the story of the Chief-of-All-Women. It was brought to Seattle in 1900 and burned by an arsonist in 1939. The totem was replaced. The pergola was built in 1909, and was demolished in a 2001 truck accident but has been rebuilt.” Interesting fact about this photo from the site. Photo on Final Slide: http://www.vintageseattle.org/2009/01/ This is the front side of a postcard that was sent from Seattle to London in 1911.

13. Project as a whole: The Histories • University of Washington, Digital Collections • HistoricSeattle.org is the only non-profit organization dedicated solely to the preservation of King County’s architecture. They are political advocates of preservationist policy and also provide free lectures on historical preservation to increase awareness. They are involved in the preservation and reconstruction of dozens of buildings in Seattle. This organization has great information, truly committed members who uphold the integrity of the information, and superb photographs with captions. • City of Seattle, Department of Neighborhoods: Historic Preservation and Historic Districts. http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/preservation/historic_districts.htm The City of Seattle website was the beginning of my search. Originally, I was interested in investigating historically significant architecture in Seattle, then stumbled upon the Department of Neighborhoods page which lists all of the landmarks and buildings which are protected by the city as historical relicts. After navigating through that department, I realized there were whole neighborhoods devoted to historical preservation of architecture and culture. And a topic was born. This site contains tons of information about the process of historical preservation, funding sources, city maps, and a history about each relict and/or neighborhood. Key resource! • The National Park Service: A National Register of Travel Places Itinerary, Seattle. http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/seattle/ This site list historic places to travel, in and around, Seattle, WA. The list includes descriptions of historic landmarks, brief histories of each site, photo archives, and directions to the landmark. Information is meant to be user friendly. Keep in mind that this is a Parks Dept.; though the information is relevant and accurate, the Dept. is pitching history as a tourist attraction. • HistoryLink.org is a “Free Encyclopedia of Washington State History,” which was created specifically to make complete and authoritative material available to students, teachers, journalist, scholars, and researchers. The site is maintained by volunteers and consulting experts, all dedicated to preserving the history of our local and state communities. I used the City of Seattle to begin my research and then used this site to dig for photos, maps, and historical snippets galore. • http://www.dahp.wa.gov/. Department of Archaeological and Historic Preservation. The DAHP is Washington State’s foremost agency concerned with the preservation and restoration of historical relicts across the State. This department works with the City of Seattle, as well as with all other cities who are concerned with the issue of historical preservation.