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| Monorail taking visitors to the Seattle World’s Fair. Photo by Ralph Crane, July 1962, LIFE Magazine. |
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| Monorail at Century 21, Seattle World’s Fair. Space Needle in background. Photo by Ralph Crane, July 1962, LIFE Magazine. |
Archive for February, 2009
LIFE In Motion 1962
February 27th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure |
10 Comments »
Couple nice color shots of the Monorail from July 1962 from photographer Ralph Crane. They go along with this collection. I’m gearing up for a photo shoot myself — I’ ll be down in New Orleans next week documenting the city. Click for the high-res versions.
Past Post: Hotel Butler
February 26th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Past Post | 4 Comments »
Past Post today is a century old Hotel Butler card. Though it is now a parking garage (with original foundation) the 1890 built Butler was once one of Seattle’s leading hotels and an icon of Prohibition revelry. There’s a fairly extensive Wikipedia entry on the structure. Department of Neighborhoods has an entry as well. Click for the high res scan.
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| Hotel Butler, Seattle, U.S.A. (W. G. King, Mgr.,) Lowman & Hanford Co., Pub., Seattle, Wash. |
Old Olds Ad, Impressionistic Consumerism
February 25th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Vintage Ads | 4 Comments »
Vintage ad today is from the ’62 World’s Fair. Check out the Oldsmobile parked in front of Coliseum 21 with flags flying. This ad’s “projected view of the world of the future” did not take into account the fact that Oldsmobile would be slowly phased out in the early 2000′s after 100+ years of production. I believe this art style is called “Impressionistic Consumerism.” Click for higher-res.
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| Oldsmobile. Official Car for Seattle World’s Fair. And appropriately so! For just as the Fair offers a projected view of the world of the future, so does Oldsmobile indicate the trend of automotive achievements… in style, performance, luxury and comfort! See your Oldsmobile Quality Dealer… drive a ’62 Olds! There’s “something extra” about owning an Olds! |
Dive Into The Plaza Motel
February 24th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 8 Comments »
How refreshing! Check out the 1960′s era promotional photo for Aurora’s Plaza Motel. Mom watches as junior dives in — it’s raw, it’s unpolished, it’s got cha in-l ink in the foreground. This was at one time a Howard Johnson Inn and more recently the Continental Plaza Seattle. I can’t tell if this building still exists or was torn down to build Domaine condos. Anyone know? Click for further study.
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| Continental Plaza Motel, 2500 Aurora Ave. N., Seattle, Wash, 98109. (206) at 4-1900. 100 deluxe soundproof units in 4 large buildings with landscaped grounds, heated pool, restaurant. Panoramic mountain and lake view. T.V. – phone – radio. Kitchen units available. Group meeting rooms. 4 minutes downtown. Close to Canal Locks, U of W, Woodland Park, Seattle Center. |
Hey Airport Way, Nice Poles
February 23rd, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 2 Comments »
Found this hypnotic 1962 photo of Airport Way while digging through the Washington State Digital Archives. I was immediately reminded of Frank Breuer’s Poles photography book (looks like Amazon says it’s out of print). An architect friend at work introduced me to this book and we’ve been using it as reference for some of our projects. Check it out if you can find a copy.
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| Photo shows cars driving down Airport Way in Seattle. Utility poles line the road, and behind them run railroad freight cars. 1962. Photo courtesy Washington State Digital Archives. |
I’d Rather Be Bathing
February 20th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 2 Comments »
Missed the update yesterday due to battling an awful case of the flu. Hope it breaks soon. In the meantime, I’d rather be here:
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| Madrona Bathing Beach. One of several municipal bathing beaches along the shore of Lake Washington, at Seattle’s “back door.” All of these beaches are reached by either the Lake Washington boulevard or the various municipal street car lines. Photo by Asahel Curtis. The Argus, 1925. |
Past Post: Lake Union, Ballard, Fremont
February 18th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Past Post | 6 Comments »
Past Postcard today is showing Lake Union, Ballard, and Fremont. The timestamp is hard to see, but you can guess this post is probably around 100 years old. Lawrence writes, I transcribe (probably incorrectly):
Well Claudia am having a good time on my furlough. Hope you are fine. All sands. Their best. Yours as ever, Lawrence.
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| Lake Union, Showing Ballard and Fremont In The Distance. Seattle. |
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| 4002 Lowman & Hanford S. & P. Co. Publishers. Seattle, Washington. Pr inted in Germany. |
Pike Place Market Snapshots 1968 Pt. 3
February 17th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 2 Comments »
We started the Pike Place Market Snapshots feature last November, followed up in December, and now it’ s time to cap it off with one final in stallment. Once again, this is Nancie Gee’s market photography from her “Reflections In Pike Place Markets” works. Click on the thumbnail for a higher resolution copy.
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| Man drinking from bottle. Pike Place Market snapshots. Circa 1968. Copyright Superior Publishing Company. Photo by Nancie Gee. |
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| Man asleep in arcade. Pike Place Market snapshots. Circa 1968. Copyright Superior Publishing Company. Photo by Nancie Gee. |
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| Men sitting on bench. Pike Place Market snapshots. Circa 1968. Copyright Superior Publishing Company. Photo by Nancie Gee. |
Ye Olde Slides 1979
February 16th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 1 Comment »
Vintage Seattle reader Michael Hanscom writes in with some slides he found a few years back in the basement of the Qwest Building (7th and Pine). The April 1979 dated slides were found in an old cabinet. He has since spoken to a few long time employees who think these were taken in what was the original print/design center on the 20th floor. See the flickr set for more — including the ducks or geese. Thanks Michael. Remember, if you find any old Seattle related slides hanging around do not hesitate to send ‘em in.
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| Looking out onto the Seattle city streets. Found slides. April, 1979. Photo courtesy Michael Hanscom. |
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| Looking out onto the Seattle city streets. Found slides. April, 1979. Photo courtesy Michael Hanscom. |
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| Looking out onto the Seattle city streets. Found slides. April, 1979. Photo courtesy Michael Hanscom. |
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| Looking out onto the Seattle city streets. Found slides. April, 1979. Photo courtesy Michael Hanscom. |
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| Looking out onto the Seattle city streets. Found slides. April, 1979. Photo courtesy Michael Hanscom. |
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| Looking out onto the Seattle city streets. Found slides. April, 1979. Photo courtesy Michael Hanscom. |
Past Post: 2nd Ave South From Pike 1911
February 13th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Past Post | 9 Comments »
Past Postcard this week is from 1911, showing a pre-skyscraper Second Ave. South from Pike. Our writer describes his trip (and means) in detail. Click on the thumbnails for more resolution.
Dear Eva, Am now in United States of America. Was 2 weeks in Vancouver B.C. Canada. Took boat to Victoria B.C. which is 100 miles 6 hrs to do. Was 1 week in Victoria B.C. which is Capital of B.C. took boat to Seattle which is 206 miles by steamship 9 hrs. Send all letters to Vancouver General Delivery, Canada. Lots of Love, M.A. Schmitt
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| Seattle, Wash. Second Ave., South from Pike. |
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| Sent to London, England from Seattle, Wash April 17, 1911. |
F. H. Osgood House 1909
February 12th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Historic Buildings | 4 Comments »
I promise not to post any smut today. Actually, this image could technically be pornographic if you’re a hardcore architecture nerd. I’m sure there are none reading. It’s a architectural floor plan of the F. H. Osgood Residence from the 1909 Western Architect. I’m going to guess F. H. is this Frank Osgood. ArchitectDB says the house was based on on the New England Colonial Hyslop House and that Historic Seattle hosted a tour in ’05. So, where on Queen Anne is it? Some other interesting info from this 2005 newsletter:
Historians report Sinclair Lewis wrote his first novel while living in the house. British symphony conductor Sir Thomas Beecham was a frequent overnight guest during his tenure in Seattle in the 1940s. Astronaut John Glenn and Buckminster Fuller both stayed in the brick residence while visiting Seattle on lecture tours. Constructed in 1903, its architect, R. Clipson Sturgis of Boston, modeled the residence after the historic Hyslop House in Brookline, Massachusetts, at the request of New England native Mrs. Osgood.
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| Residence For F. H. Osgood, Seattle, Washington. R. Clipston Sturgis And Barton, Architects, Boston, Massachusetts. Western Architect, July 1909. |
Seattle World’s Fair Stimulus Package 1962
February 11th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 19 Comments »
It’s shaping up to be an interesting week full of reader submissions. The Seattle, Where Was I Taken mystery seems to be solved. It made the rounds across the USA and ended up on San Francisco’ s Market Street. Today Vintage Seattle reader Paul writes in with some titillating pamphlet scans from the ’62 World’s Fair adult entertainment area “A Night in Paradise.” You can download the full 12meg .pdf file here. Please note that these include mature content and may not be safe for work. Take it away, Paul:
I like your website. I also share a fascination with the Seattle World’s Fair.
Recently, a friend gave me a full color brochure entitled: “Gracie Hansen Presents: Barry Ashton’s “A Night in Paradise”. It was a Burlesque show at the Seattle World’s Fair located on “Show Street”. Show Street was located where the KCTS building is now, I think.
It looks awesome. Given Seattle’s affection for it’s own World’s Fair and Burlesque shows, I think it might be a fun addition to your website. It was billed as a ‘break for dear old dad’ at the Fair. There are Showgirls, fabulous out-of-this-world sets, wacky side show acts and boobies! (You get a quick glimpse of the outside of the building in the video clip “Century 21 Calling”, the sign says it all: “Peep”.)
The article about Gracie Hansen alone is worth it. She moved from Louisiana to the logging town of Morton, WA. I know Morton, WA. Don’t ask.
In Morton, she lost three children to “RH factor” acquired the Morton Liquor Agency, went through a divorce, and wrote and staged the “Morton Follies” that had: “…lines that were a mite to racy for the tender ears of Morton.” Really? A town full of loggers? Huh.
Paul
Via E-Mail
1/3/2009
Recently, a friend gave me a full color brochure entitled: “Gracie Hansen Presents: Barry Ashton’s “A Night in Paradise”. It was a Burlesque show at the Seattle World’s Fair located on “Show Street”. Show Street was located where the KCTS building is now, I think.
It looks awesome. Given Seattle’s affection for it’s own World’s Fair and Burlesque shows, I think it might be a fun addition to your website. It was billed as a ‘break for dear old dad’ at the Fair. There are Showgirls, fabulous out-of-this-world sets, wacky side show acts and boobies! (You get a quick glimpse of the outside of the building in the video clip “Century 21 Calling”, the sign says it all: “Peep”.)
The article about Gracie Hansen alone is worth it. She moved from Louisiana to the logging town of Morton, WA. I know Morton, WA. Don’t ask.
In Morton, she lost three children to “RH factor” acquired the Morton Liquor Agency, went through a divorce, and wrote and staged the “Morton Follies” that had: “…lines that were a mite to racy for the tender ears of Morton.” Really? A town full of loggers? Huh.
Paul
Via E-Mail
1/3/2009
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| Excerpt from Gracie Hansen Presents Barry Ashton’s “A Night In Paradise.” Image courtesy Paul. |
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| Excerpt from Gracie Hansen Presents Barry Ashton’s “A Night In Paradise.” Image courtesy Paul. |
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| Excerpt from Gracie Hansen Presents Barry Ashton’s “A Night In Paradise.” Image courtesy Paul. |
Seattle Center Travelodge (And Space Needle)
February 10th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 2 Comments »
Beautiful, isn’t it? A true Seattle icon. L it up like a beacon, it just begs you to come on in and stay a while. I’m talking about the Travelodge at 200 6th Avenue (89th best hotel in Seattle), what did you think I was talking about ? Oh, and the Space Needle is nearby too (in this case, “Photoshopped” in to preserve the main framed Travelodge). Like the Needle, it’s still around. Go ahead, tear it down. I dare you. Check out the vintage 60′s photo.
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| Seattle Center TraveLodge. 200 6th Avenue North, Seattle, Wash., 98109. Phone MA 3-2600. Adjacent to “World-Famous” Space Needle Restaurant — Seattle center and Convention facilities — Quiet rooms — Air conditioned — TV — Room phones — Heated pool. |
Seattle, Where Was I Taken?
February 9th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 44 Comments »
It’s not everyday that you get an e-mail from a private investigator asking for your assistance. Phillip White of Brockton, MA writes in with this mystery photo needing just that. He writes:
We are trying to determine the location of the area of this photo… may be a Moore building sign and the streetlights are distinctive. This is a Massachusetts private investigation, it’s the client’s fa ther-in-law, was in the Navy. We have been searching streetlights all over the world to find the location and came up with Seattle.
Phil White
Brockton, MA
Via E-Mail 2/6/2009
Looking at the Moo* sign and the building across the street, my first inclination was here at 2nd & Virginia. However, there are a couple reasons that wouldn’t make sense (looks like Smith Tower in bg, side of building across the street doesn’t match, etc). Theories?
Phil White
Brockton, MA
Via E-Mail 2/6/2009
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| Photo courtesy Phillip White. |
Country Club Living @ The Camlin
February 6th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Vintage Ads | 9 Comments »
After yesterday’s sobering news, we could use an escape. Fitting the bill: Seattle’s historic Camlin Hotel, built 1926. Fifty-two cabana units were added in 1960 in preparation for the World’s Fair. The hotel is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Click to escape and see this full resolution vintage ad from 1962. Some nice period 60′s furniture shown here.
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| The Camlin Hotel & Cabanas. Country Club Living in downtown Seattle! From “Beautiful Seattle Offers A Plus Convention,” Seattle Chamber of Commerce, 1962. |
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| The Camlin Hotel & Cabanas. Living Rooms — The Camlin Hotel and Cabanas afford a wide variety of accommodations, from a single Cabana to multiple room suites in the Tower. All accommodations have direct-dialing telephone and free televisions. From “Beautiful Seattle Offers A Plus Convention,” Seattle Chamber of Commerce, 1962. |
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| The Camlin Hotel & Cabanas. Group Rooms — The Camlin Hotel and Cabanas offers a variety of rooms to accommodate group gatherings. The rooms can be arranged to handle meetings or conferences… or if desirable, cocktail parties, Breakfasts, Luncheons or Dinners. From “Beautiful Seattle Offers A Plus Convention,” Seattle Chamber of Commerce, 1962. |
