Downtown Seattle 1942 Pt. 2
June 9th, 2009 @ 12:11 am by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure
Here comes Part 2 of Vintage Seattle reader Loretta W’s Downtown Seattle 1942 collection. In case you missed Part 1, click here to catch up. This set also includes two bonus shots — one of the photographer (Loretta’s mother) and the old family home as well. Modern day view on that shot is here, by the way. Thanks again to Loretta for submitting these and sharing with the rest of us. Click on the thumbnails for higher res.
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| Downtown Seattle, 1942. Photo courtesy Loretta W. |
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| Downtown Seattle, 1942. Photo courtesy Loretta W. |
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| Downtown Seattle, 1942. Photo courtesy Loretta W. |
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| Downtown Seattle, 1942. Photo courtesy Loretta W. |
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| Family home at 50th and Latona. 1956. Photo courtesy Loretta W. |
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| Photographer’s self portrait. 1942. |
June 9th, 2009 @ 6:08 am
These are wonderful! I wonder what kind of ne’er-do-well activity (If any) went on across the street from the Woolworths?
June 9th, 2009 @ 8:21 am
First off, what and where the heck was Grayson? Was that a department store? It’s huge!
Secondly, I have a good friend who lives very near that corner of 50th and Latona. I can’t tell if the angle is just strange on the old photo, but it seems like the house in the middle is sitting right next to 50th, and now, there’s much more of a planting strip and a wide sidewalk? The only way that could be is if 50th was rerouted to the east a bit at some point, which seems unlikely. . .
June 9th, 2009 @ 10:24 am
I think this is the angle at 50th and Latona.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=50th+and+latona+,seattle,+wa&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&split=0&gl=us&ei=L5ouSofXB5O8swPzvYG_CA&ll=47.664994,-122.325565&spn=0.002048,0.003814&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=47.664987,-122.325345&panoid=UhWFxVdJWkeUKr3Ej-WzBQ&cbp=12,305.41,,0,7.41
June 9th, 2009 @ 10:48 am
Looks like Grayson was part of the California Grayson-Robinson chain. http://www.scripophily.net/grstinca19.html ; http://bit.ly/vpslC
June 9th, 2009 @ 11:39 am
?
That’s the same angle that I posted.
June 9th, 2009 @ 11:43 am
I had the same question about Grayson. A Google search came up with nothing much.
I asked Loretta. Her response:
“I have just the vaguest recollection of Grayson’s. I’m pretty sure it was a department store along the lines of Penneys or the Bon Marche. Those things that look like ticket booths are displays.
I’ll e-mail my older brother and sister and ask what they know.”
edit: Wow, looks like Ben’s links answer the question. Tons of great info there.
June 9th, 2009 @ 12:11 pm
I live just north of this intersection. Great to see my neighborhood in 1942!
@Shannon: remember that 50th is four lanes wide now. You are looking at it correctly - something in this picture had to give.
June 9th, 2009 @ 12:21 pm
Actually (I always seem to post twice in a row), Shannon, now that I look more closely, I agree that something isn’t quite right here. Nothing about this old view fits with the current reality. I can’t really figure it out.
June 9th, 2009 @ 2:01 pm
Whoops, I made a mistake! I meant Latona, not 50th. The house in the old photos seems to be sitting right next to Latona. Nowadays, there is a roomy sidewalk and a planting strip, yet Latona doesn’t seem to be any narrower. So, did Latona migrate to the east a bit at some point?
June 9th, 2009 @ 6:03 pm
How nice to see the old Woolworth’s. I often had lunch at the counter..and that was the 80’s!..
June 9th, 2009 @ 8:32 pm
This is where Grayson’s was, i recognized the building on the left
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
1540 3rd Ave.
June 9th, 2009 @ 11:30 pm
Grayson’s is listed in the 1943-44 Polk’s Seattle City Directory:
“Grayson’s Shop Inc Jas W Baker mgr women’s
clo 1512-14 3rd av and 202 Pike”
What a great storefront! Does anybody know what happened to it?
June 10th, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
It was plowed into dust like everything that used to be great or unique about this city. (cynical much?)
June 10th, 2009 @ 5:27 pm
Colin: Sadly, you’re exactly right.
June 11th, 2009 @ 1:06 am
Hi! First of all, looking again at the 50th and Latona picture, I must have gotten the date wrong on that one, because the car is newer than a ‘56, I think. I have no knowledge of the street migrating, though.
I used the ask-a-librarian service at the Seattle Public Library website to ask about Grayson’s and the librarian told me this:
Grayson’s was indeed a chain of department stores that started in California. According to the Polk’s City Directory for Seattle, Grayson’s Shop began business in Seattle started in 1935 at 202 Pike and expanded to 1512 3rd Avenue in 1942. By 1948 (we do not have the Polk’s for 1945, 46, 47) the shop was only at the 1512-14 3rd Avenue address and begun to call itself just “Grayson’s”. The business began selling children’s and sports apparel in late 50’s and early 60s. They were in business until 1964 until it appears they went bankrupt : http://cases.justia.com/us-court-of-appeals/F2/320/940/38681/
There is a book called Mall Maker by M. Jeffrey Hardwick, Victor Gruen (on Google Books at: http://books.google.com/books?id=vTnMYmwljS8C&pg=PA238&lpg=PA238&dq=grayson’s+women’s+apparel+seattle&source=bl&ots=ZkJz-1ZXLk&sig=gwkJGebwC07sLPvqo5VPrHVB08Q&hl=en&ei=DxkwSry6FqSCtgOj8aXECA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2) that briefly discusses the 3rd Avenue Grayson’s.
Apparently, according to the bankruptcy document, the store changed its name at some point to Grayson-Robinson’s, though it was never identified as such in the Polk City directory. But I did find a beautiful common stock certificate for Grayson-Robinson here: http://www.scripophily.net/grstinca19.html
I checked both the King County Parcel viewer and the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods historic database for information about the building but the 1512 3rd Avenue address did not bring up any information.
I hope this information is useful. Thank you again for using our Ask a Librarian service for your reference requests.
Also, here are a couple of links to pictures of Grayson’s stores in other cities:
http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft1199n4gw/?docId=ft1199n4gw&brand=oac&layout=printable
http://dcl.umn.edu/dcl/show_details?page=71&search=per_page%3D12%26q%3Dv_Victor_Gruen%2Bo_fand%2Bf_search_cache_agent%26s%3Df_search_cache_title%2Br_DESC%26page%3D71
I’m glad you guys like the pictures! Wish I had more of them, but film was probably pretty expensive to a young couple just starting out.
June 11th, 2009 @ 11:59 am
Oh Shannon, I see what you’re talking about. It does kind of look like the house was right up against Latona, but there was they typical sidewalk and parking strip, it just doesn’t show up very well in the picture.
Loretta
July 28th, 2009 @ 11:29 am
I would love copy of 1942 picture of Woolworth’s is it possible?
November 28th, 2009 @ 5:50 pm
Amy, sorry I didn’t check back sooner. It’s fine with me if Jess Cliffe e-mail’s you a copy.
Loretta
November 28th, 2009 @ 5:52 pm
OMG, I DIDN’T put that apostrophe in “emails, did I?”