Downtown Seattle 1978 Pt. 3
April 27th, 2009 @ 12:10 am by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure
Part 3 of our vintage 1978 downtown Seattle photo collection rolls on. The photos were taken by Vintage Seattle contributor Jana Robertson. Click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2. Thanks again Jana! Remember, if you have old photos of Seattle or people in Seattle — please send them in and share with us all. Click on the photos for high res versions.
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| Marion street. And 3rd AVE? “Seattle Trust Center” “Pioneer International Title Insurance.” 1978. Photo courtesy Jana Robertson. |
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| Dog drives truck past walking man. 1978. Photo courtesy Jana Robertson. |
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| Workers taking a break. 1978. Photo courtesy Jana Robertson. |
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| Boy with toy in store. 1978. Photo courtesy Jana Robertson. |
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| Parents and children looking through glass to display. 1978. Photo courtesy Jana Robertson. |
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| Woman with Christmas tree hat in Bon Marche. 1978. Photo courtesy Jana Robertson. |
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| “Get outta here!” 1978. Photo courtesy Jana Robertson. |
April 27th, 2009 @ 9:44 am
I think that the first shot is Marion and Second, not Marion and Third. Looks to me as though the upper right corner is all full of the Hoge building. Also, the building at an angle just below the King Street Station clock tower is visible down Second, not Third. If this shot were wider to the right you’d see the Exchange Bldg. and that wee bank, which I forget the name of.
April 27th, 2009 @ 9:55 am
Just confirmed: if this were looking down Third, you’d see the Frye apartments, which looks like a wedding cake, instead of the brick building and the station clock tower. The four-story building on the SW corner of Second and Columbia has been replaced, but everything else is pretty much as it was, architecturally speaking.
Jana, once again, great shots, especially the lady on the stairwell and the two men in the alley. I’m imagining you (punk high-school kid) running out of that backstreet with your camera bag flopping being followed by the epithets of angry alley-dwellers.
April 27th, 2009 @ 10:41 am
Thank you, for locating that, Matt! I still fumble with Google Street views and I could never quite make it fit.
Umm, the title for picture two is a bit frightening if you look at the “driver” of the truck but I think you were in a silly mood, Jess, and might have done that on purpose - I like the Christmas tree hat title.
April 27th, 2009 @ 10:58 am
I am trying to reach a contact person for the queen court apartments on warren ave in lower queen anne. I know the org live historic is kind of running things but the number on their website doesn’t seem to be working and I cannot for the life of me find any other contact information! I am a photographer wanting to use the lobby for a photoshoot today around 3pm!!! help!!
April 27th, 2009 @ 11:17 am
Hah. I didn’t even notice the dog until now. Updated the caption. This photo is now my favorite.
April 27th, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
Great photos again, Jana. I’m trying to place that second one with the dog and truck. Could that be First Avenue somewhere? I’m sure it’s all changed now…
April 27th, 2009 @ 1:25 pm
I love these - I was 4 in 1978 and loved going downtown to shop as a little girl. It’s fun to see what downtown looked like then.
April 27th, 2009 @ 4:30 pm
ChrisA - I was thinking it might have been 1st Ave, too but I really don’t remember. I took it between this photo
http://www.vintageseattle.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/jana_downtown_set02_02.jpg and a Pike Place Market photo (which doesn’t help too much since I think we walked really randomly around town)
The building the truck is parked by says it’s a grocery. It might start with a “D” (that’s all I can read on the far upper right)
April 28th, 2009 @ 12:19 am
Jana, I think I’ve got the skinny on that 1st Ave. shot. It looks like you took it on 1st between Pike and Pine, facing west. The brick wall on the far left was part of the Sanitary Public Market Garage, which is no longer a garage, since having a couple of floors added in 1980. The building on the right was the First and Pine building (since demolished). It contained the 605 Cafe and Card Room, an anonymous grocery store, and a Rexall U-Save Drugs.
Here’s what the Seattle Municipal Archives shows: http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?s1=1st+ave&S2=&S3=&l=20&Sect7=THUMBON&Sect6=HITOFF&Sect5=PHOT1&Sect4=AND&Sect3=PLURON&d=PHO3&p=16&u=%2F~public%2Fphot1.htm&r=312&f=G
Sorry to geek out, but I had to know! I have a lot of vivid impressions of downtown Seattle, from those days. Especially 1st Ave. Seems like it was a completely different planet…
April 28th, 2009 @ 7:07 am
WOW! Thank you ChrisA!! I am so excited you geeked it out - I couldn’t quite get my bearings on where it was and it’s very satisfying to have it located!! Thank you, thank you for taking the time to do that!
Love this site!
April 28th, 2009 @ 8:27 am
The first one is definitely 2nd Ave I actually work in the Wells Fargo bldg, which now stands where this photo would’ve been shot from. notice there is no Millennium Tower (2nd bldg on the right) right across from the Dexter Horton Bldg. and where the Seattle Trust Court was is now the Met. I can see this corner form my window, its really strange to compare the photo to the current view.
Great Pictures Jana, thanks for sharing!
April 28th, 2009 @ 12:05 pm
ChrisA, you’re a man after my own heart. I imagine some of us like history-sniffing dogs on a leash. A picture comes up, the leash is loosed, and off we go. “Geek it out, boy! Geek it out! Good boy!”