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We’ve seen a few similar angles in the past (one here and a rendering here), but never from the Monorail terminal itself. The photo must be post-1952, when Frederick & Nelson added a number of stories. Any other clues from the photo that would enable us to pin it down? When did Weisfield’s go away? The cars? Click for higher resolution.

A look down on busy Pine Street from the downtown Seattle Monorail Terminal affords an impressive view of Frederick & Nelson (department store), a division of Marshall Field & Co., and other fine stores. Color photo by Max R. Jensen.

From the archives, a time when General Motors was looking to the future rather than just trying to survive… Below find the venerable Firebird III concept car. It was shown in the Coliseum Century 21 exhibit during Seattle’s world fair. Features included anti-lock brakes, cruise control, air conditioning, air drag brakes, a joystick control, the list goes on. There’s much more on this bad boy right here. Click for higher res.

We’re setting a course for the future… come along! The fully operational Firebird III car is featured in our Coliseum Century 21 exhibition, plus automatic highways, solar and atomic energy displays, a thermal engine, and other exhibits that make today tomorrow. General Motors Corporation. Official Souvenir Program, Seattle World’s Fair 1962.

What a nice long weekend — and here comes the rain to wash it all away. Hope you were able to spend the holiday here. Click for higher res.

A bit of Madison Park, Seattle, Wash. No. 5177 Publ. by Portland Post Card Co. Portland, Ore. and Seattle. Wash, (Made in Germany.)

On the holiday formerly known as Decoration Day, we remember men and women who have died in military service. The U.S.A. chant is optional. Click on the photo of Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet for higher res.

Photograph of Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet anchored in Elliot Bay at night, May 1908. Spotlights are beaming off the fleet’s ships. Photo courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.

Mundane accident, bitingly symbolic, somewhere in between? I got a real kick out of this 1928 photo. Will rail triumph once again later in 2009 when you need a ride to the airport? It’s scheduled to open then. Click on the photo for the super high res.

Photo shows a car parked or stopped just under an interurban train car. It may have been a collision. The train has a sign at front reading “SEATTLE EVERETT” and along the sides, “SEATTLE EVERETT Mt. VERNON BELLINGHAM.” Ca. 1928. Photo courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.

Just a simple postcard today showing “commission row.” To read the story of the revolt against commission houses and early days of Pike Place Market, hit this HistoryLink article. Click on the thumbnail for higher resolution.

Commission Row, Seattle, Washington. Published by The Valentine & Sons’ Pub. Co., Ltd., New York, Boston, and Atlanta. Printed in Great Britain.

Don Duncan had a nice recap of the nearly century old Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, written in scrapbook form for his late grandmother who had seen it herself. We’re getting close now to that anniversary. Here are a couple photos of the Foreign Building and Mines Building. Click for high res.

Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Detail of Foreign Building, Howard and Galloway, Architects, Schock and Huntington, Associate Architects. Detail of Mines Building, Howard and Galloway, Architects. Photos by F.H. Nowell. The Western Architect, July 1909.

Check out the 1960’s era promotional photo of Sea-Tac Airport’s Seattle Hyatt House. I first posted about it in January of 2008. According to this 2006 PI article, it was a hideaway for Ray Charles and Bill Cosby and was the setting for the 1965 film “The Slender Thread.” Anyone reading this have any memories from this hotel? Click for higher res.

Seattle Hyatt House. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, Washington 98188. 325 Luxurious Rooms — Heated Olympic Pool — Complete Banquet and excellent group meeting facilities — Dining Room, Lounge and 24-Hour Cofee Shop — Beauty and Barber Shops — Television and radio in every room — Free transportation to and from the Airport.

Thanks to Jerry Cox we went back to the relatively recent past on Friday. Today we step back to the early days of our city. This photo shows First & Columbia in 1870. I’m assuming this is looking north due to the hill in the background (pre-regrade). The streets are dirt and a few trees remain. Modern day view is here. Click for the super hi-res version.

Shows 1st Ave. from Columbia Street, Seattle, 1870. Photo courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.

Vintage Seattle reader Jerry Cox was kind enough to send in a batch of super hi-res photos he took of Seattle and surroundings by plane in April 1979. He was just about to embark on a two year Church sevice project and these have been in storage since then. I’ve left the photos hi-res, with each weighing in around a meg. Big thanks to Jerry for writing in and sharing with all of us. Take it away.

Downtown Bellevue in foreground and Seattle in background. April, 1979. Photo by Jerry Cox.

Evergreen Point Bridge (520), looking west. April, 1979. Photo by Jerry Cox.

Boats off of Evergreen Point Bridge (520). April, 1979. Photo by Jerry Cox.

Seattle Center and Puget Sound. April, 1979. Photo by Jerry Cox.

Downtown Seattle, looking southwest. April, 1979. Photo by Jerry Cox.

This building, better known as the Leamington Hotel and Apartments, is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Who can explain the wildly different appearance of the building halves in this postcard/this photo and the look of it now? Specifically, the corner of the building goes from 4 windows to 3. Perhaps an artist’s rendering before it was completed?

Hotel Penbrook And Apartments. Fireproof — 200 Outside Rooms — Rates $1.00 and Up — Modern In Every Respect — Fourth Avenue at Marion, Seattle, U.S.A. You will find our Two and Three-Room furnished apartments. A Real Home at Moderate Cost.

Today we are marching on with Part 2 of our Forgotten Capitol Hill Mansion feature. If you missed yesterday’s Part 1, click here. The owner estimates that it will take 6 months to make this 1926 North Capitol Hill Mediterranean Revival mansion livable. That would include repairing the roof, removing overgrowth vegetation touching the house, repairing windows and leaks, new boiler, kitchen work, bathroom work and paint. Other changes will come in time, but he stressed to me that every effort will be made to retain the restore the original features. The first owner of the home was said to be a rum-runner during prohibition — though that is just a rumor. Fueling the rumor, though, is an 8′ x 10′ room in the basement of the home — to get access you have to step through a vault door hidden in a linen closet. As for how this incredible place lay dormant for so long, the owner relayed this information: If you or anyone you know has additional information pertaining to the history of this mansion, please stop by the comments or e-mail me. We’d love to hear from you. Big thanks once again to the Vintage Seattle reader who is fortunate enough to own this piece of Seattle history and who kindly showed us around. We look forward to heading back once it’s been restored and sharing more photos. But for now, check out the rest of the current batch. Click on the thumbnails for higher res versions.

[See also: Forgotten Capitol Hill Mansion Pt. 1]

Fountain through arches.	Alternate angle.
Fountain from above.	Close-up of water and fountain.
Balcony and supports.	Adjacent patio area.
Heading up the stairs to the second floor.	Light fixture at top of staircase, peeling paint.
Master bedroom.	Reading room off of master.
Master bedroom french doors.	The view from the balcony, looking out toward Husky Stadium.
The wood floors are original and in good condition.	Crown molding detail.
Looking outside.	Alternate angle.
This basement area is thought to have once housed a bowling alley.	Basement area light fixture.
Formal dining room light fixture.	One more shot of that colorful tile.
Front door hardware.	Front door.

A Vintage Seattle Blog reader sent me a hot tip 2 weeks ago about a historic (and forgotten) 1926 North Capitol Hill Mediterranean Revival mansion he was about to start restoring. The 4 bed, 4 bath, 7000 square foot residence had been abandoned for the past 20 years. I was told that it was amazingly intact, with all fixtures, quite a bit of cosmetic damage, and that I had to see it. So that’s just what I did. Came away with so many good photos from this hidden gem that I’ve had to split it into 2 parts. Click back tomorrow for more. It’s hard to believe that this home has been sitting around abandoned for so long — right in the middle of Capitol Hill. Huge thanks to the house’s new owner for giving Vintage Seattle a tour and restoring this baby to its former glory. Click here to view Part 2 photos.

1930’s tax record.	1930’s tax photo.
The mansion as it appears today.	The staircase as you enter the home.
Alternate angle, staircase and front door.	Close-up of intricate millwork.
Front entry light fixture.	Just off the entry, main living room.
Reading/sun room off living room.	Just about everything in this scene is original to the home.
1920’s era light fixture.	Window detail.
Built-in bookcase and molding.	Paint peeling from wall.

Check out the vintage Washington Athletic Club photo. The Club, at 6th Avenue and Union Street, opened in December 1930. A 1950’s era project added four stories and eight more came online in the 1970’s. Can you guess which tower is which? I thought you could! Forget windows — who needs ‘em. There’s more on the building here from the venerable Department Of Neighborhoods. Click for higher res.

Washington Athletic Club, Seattle, Washington. The twenty-two stories of the finest family athletic club in the West command an imposing place in the heart of Seattle’s downtown business district. A second home for thousands of members offers 135 beautifully furnished sleeping rooms and suites, exquisite dining, year-round social activities and modern athletic facilities.

Aww, how quaint. A Seattle warehouse from 1929 with slaughtered animal pelts stacked to the rafters. Here I was about to make a snarky comment about how surely this enterprise faded away as the great liberal Seattle evolved. Then I found this: So much for liberal, post-modern Seattle.

This city is now recognized as the world’s largest marketing center for fine raw fur skins. This illustration shows a portion of the monthly offerings at the Seattle Fur Exchange. The operations of this Exchange circle the globe. The Argus, 1929.