VintageSeattle.org

2008 was Vintage Seattle’s first full calendar year in existence and what a year it was. From Mario Mendoza to the Carmack House, from Ballard Manning’s to the Blizzards of ‘16 and ‘08, we’ve seen a lot. Here’s to many more years of imagery here on Vintage Seattle dot org. Now for a few stats. In all, 304 posts were made, 1170 comments posted, 231 gigabytes of images served, and 488000 hits (visits) were logged. Huge thanks to all of you loyal readers who regularly come back and participate in the comments. It’s because of you, that this little hobby of mine that I assumed a handful of people would find interesting, just keeps on growing. What follows is 2008’s biggest hits and misses. Each thumbnail links to the relevant post, so it may be a good time to catch up. See you in 2009 — where the plan is (you guessed it) to serve up even more hot, fresh, vintage Seattle images! [Note: See 2007's year in review post here.]

The year kicked off on the 3rd with a 1914 forecast of what Seattle might look like in 2014. One thing is clear: we need to up our blimp production if we’re going to stay on track.	First Hill’s Northcliffe Apartment Building was profiled on January 4th, weeks before it met the wrecking ball.
In mid January, I toured three beautiful new Craftsman houses in the CD. By the end of the year, the builder was desperately trying to move them and break even.	We then started a new World’s Fair Snapshots series. A couple installments would follow.
By late Janurary we were debating the virtues of Galaxy Gold and whether it should be brought back.	Next up was the “Royal Residence” at 957 22nd Ave East, where the Crown Prince of Norway had stayed in the 1930’s.
With the start of February, we toured another amazing home. The William H. Thompson home, built 1894, was on the market.	All-star Vintage Seattle contributor Deran Ludd thrilled us with his 1930’s Art Deco postcard of Seattle, “Glamour City.”
If you know baseball, you know Mario Mendoza and the “Mendoza line.” No one commented.	On February 22nd, we profiled the Great Seattle Storm of 1916. In December, a similar storm would come.
Anne Forestieri sent in early 80’s photos of the Ballard Manning’s. The debate surrounding whether or not to preserve the building would rage in Seattle.	As March rolled around, Tim Ellis (of Seattle Bubble fame) sent in scans from a 1951 Seattle Civil Defense Manual including “The Atom Bomb And Your Survival.”
By the end of March we were going inside the historic Carmack House for a closer look. The photos were used by Historic Seattle to try for a landmark designation.	In mid April, I was clearly just looking for an excuse to use the headline: “Riding A Pimped Out Escalade In… ‘62?!”
At the conclusion of April, we toured the Marlborough House. By the end of the year the developer had not sold a single unit and was in financial trouble.	In May, we featured the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital (now Amazon HQ). Many interesting stories came in through the comments.
Rounding out May was the Mystery Parade photo set. Vintage Seattle readers acted as investigators and pinned down the date.	June started with a bang — a profile of one the greatest buildings in the city. That would be the venerable Triangle Hotel & Bar.
Fellow blogger Dan sent in some of his own vintage Seattle shots from a road trip in ‘66.	In July we had a chance to tour the historic Furuya Building in Pioneer Square. I learned that dingy dirt floor basements lit only by cell phone… not the way to go.
We then started the “Erecting The Needle” series of Space Needle construction photos. The initial sketches might be the most interesting.	Next up was the I-90 Bridge, in the days of the “bulge.” A couple old time stories followed in the comments.
At the end of August we received a plea from the oldest house in Cascade (South Lake Union). The 1890 structure had a few fans but was ultimately SLU’ed.	In September we found ourselves touring downtown’s Seaboard Building, where we found the exterior to be a tad more interesting than the interior.
With October came a new VS feature, the House O Th’ Week. This Mount Baker beauty had RPH and I wowing.	Next we reframed the historic Hotel Sorrento. Not a whole lot has changed and we like it that way.
In December we rounded out the “Erecting The Needle” photo set. This shot with the torch lit was a nice way to end it.	After the Great Blizzard of ‘08 hit, we were all left cleaning up the mess. The Seattle Municipal Archives was there to let us know “it could be worse.”

Just a few odds and ends to post here before we do the annual wrap-up. Vintage Seattle reader Chas sends in this 1910 postcard of Rose Lodge in West Seattle. Turns out, Chas lives there now. Thanks for the submission.

Rose Lodge, West Seattle postcard. Postmarked June 9, 1910.

Finally, the big melt is here. It was nice while it lasted but I’m very ready for this white Christmas to go away. A couple of upsides worth noting: sledding, two new dog nicknames (”Snowball” & “Snow-Plow”), snowballs, and a very clean house. This photo from 1923 should look familiar. Click for higher-res.

Removing Snow from Streets of Seattle following storm of February 14, 1923. Photograph courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives.

Or, Happy Holidays, if you prefer. Below find the Christmas Ship in 1950 from the Seattle Municipal Archives. According to the Argosy Cruises website, the Christmas Ship festival is a celebration that has been going strong for 59 years. Here’s to humble beginnings and a safe and merry Christmas.

Christmas Ship, 1950. Photograph courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives.

Christmas Ship, 1950. Photograph courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives.

Hey look, no snow! Today’s Past Postcard comes from 1921, going from Seattle to Hagerstown, Maryland. Chas writes:

Looking north over portion of Business Section from L.C. Smith Bldg., Seattle.

Postcard sent August 18, 1921 to Hagerstown, Maryland.

Went sledding with our neighbors tonight down the steep street that leads to our neighborhood. Fun as it was — I’m ready for the melt. Continuing with February’s original 1916 storm post, here are a couple more. Twenty one and a half inches fell during that epic storm — I hope we don’t catch up this week. Big thanks again to Deran Ludd for providing the images. Click for higher-res.

Second Ave. Seattle, Feb. 3, 1916. Photograph courtesy Deran Ludd.

Car stuck in the snow, 1916. Photograph courtesy Deran Ludd.

The Seattle Times is reporting that Vulcan has purchased a 0.22-acre parcel at 515 Westlake Ave. N. for $3.75 million. That would be the 88 year old Hugo Loewy Company Building in South Lake Union. For all of you hoping for a future preservation project, keep in mind what routinely goes down in SLU. Here’s the building and block on Google street view.


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Finally ventured out of the house today to make the one mile walk to the grocery store. No skim milk to be had. Going to have to make due with water in the cereal — just like my grandfather used to do. No, but seriously, it looks like the shellacking will continue today with another round of snowfall (and now with wind!). That means we can all enjoy these 1908 E.S. Curtis photos while we’ve still got power.

Apsaroke man on horseback on snow-covered ground, probably in Pryor Mountains, Montana. Circa 1908. Copyright by E.S. Curtis. Image courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Two Apsaroke men, one wearing a hooded coat, the other wrapped in a blanket, on horseback, on snow-covered ground, trees and hillside in background. Circa 1908. Copyright by E.S. Curtis. Image courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Apsaroke woman carrying firewood in snow. Circa 1908. Copyright by E.S. Curtis. Image courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Apsaroke woman standing in snow scooping water from a stream with a can, bucket beside her. Circa 1908. Copyright by E.S. Curtis. Image courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

It’s hell on earth out there, people! A couple of inches have accumulated here in West Seattle and you know what that means (what with the hills and relatively few snow plows): we aren’t going anywhere for a while. That means the Great Blizzard Of ‘08 will give us plenty of time to look back at the Great Blizzard Of ‘16. Skating on Green Lake for two weeks — that’s some serious stuff. Click. [I'm going to defer the Friedlander post until a later date]

Skating on Green Lake, 1916.

Postcard sent from Stan, 1916.

If you’re an Alaska Yukon Pacific Expo nerd like me, you’ll find it exciting that some film footage has recently turned up. Berger has the scoop over at Crosscut. The newsreel clips show men giving speeches, fairgoers on rides, crowds enjoying the show, etc. Trust me, if there’s any justice then this will be a Youtube sensation. We’re nearly at the 100 year mark celebrating the expo — below find a related postcard showing the Alaska Monument.

One last thing… I’m not only an A.Y.P.E. nerd but a computer nerd in general. I’m happy to say I’m up and running on my new 64-bit machine with 8 gigabytes of ram and 3 terabytes of storage (should hopefully be enough for the VS.org digital archives).

Alaska Monument. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, Seattle, Wash. 1909 (Official Post Card)

Postcard back.

If you missed Part 1 of the Pike Place Market Snapshots feature, see it here. Part 2 shows more of Nancie Gee’s market photography from her “Reflections In Pike Place Markets.” From Parts 1 and 2 you can see that eating ice cream and smoking cigarettes were the things to do at Pike Place. Click on the thumbnails for the higher-res versions.

Merchant smoking during a break. Pike Place Market snapshots. Circa 1968. Copyright Superior Publishing Company. Photo by Nancie Gee.

Child eating ice cream among produce. Pike Place Market snapshots. Circa 1968. Copyright Superior Publishing Company. Photo by Nancie Gee.

Old timers swapping stories. Pike Place Market snapshots. Circa 1968. Copyright Superior Publishing Company. Photo by Nancie Gee.

Derailed. That’s just about how I’m feeling right now. After being snowed-in all day Sunday, I’m doubtful I’ll be able to make it up and down the large hills around my house in order to make it into work. Almost time to send the two 15-pound fluffy dogs out foraging for supplies and food. Are you faring any better? Photo is from the Madison Street cable car stock-still in 1929.

Madison Street Cable Car derailed in Snow First and Second Avenues. Jan 28, 1929. Photograph courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives.

It’s snowing here in West Seattle — first significant dump of the season. I’d say it’s already around 2 inches or so. Not bad for Seattle. Scarf and Sticky enjoyed romping around in it, for sure. And now, the Seattle storm of 1916:

Smith Tower and other buildings covered in snow, 1916. Photo courtesy Deran Ludd.

This 1924 postcard shows the Frink Boulevard Serpentine, which I believe corresponds to this modern day angle. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Frink Park was donated to Seattle in 1907 by Washington Senator John M. Frink. Virgil Writes, with obvious priorities:

Frink Boulevard Serpentine, Seattle, U.S.A.

Postcard sent August, 1924.

Vintage Seattle vintage ad time. This time around it’s Irving & Cannon, merchant tailors located at 211 Columbia Street. Though the Boston block (built 1887) was saved from the flames of the great fire, it has not survived. One fact that does remain is that their patterns were snappy and up-to-date. Click!

Irving & Cannon, merchant tailors. 211 Columbia St., Boston Block, Seattle, Washington. Gentlemen of Alaska, We Want Your Patronage — Reasons Why: Our tailoring is high grade and correct in style. Quality considered, prices are lowest in Seattle. Everything of the best. Our stock is large and carefully selected. Snappy, up-to-date patterns always on display. We want you to see our goods and the style and quality of our tailoring. Established 1890. Alaska Club Album, 1904.