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July, 2009 Archive

Freeway To Frustration

July 31st, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 5 Comments » border

Now I’m sure you’ve already heard plenty of whining about I-90 being closed Thursday morning, but allow me to pile on. My 25 minute commute from West Seattle to downtown Bellevue ended up taking me 2 hours and 15 minutes. Oh, and the Blue Angels flying thundering overhead did not make that 2 hours and 15 minutes any more enjoyable. I know, I know — I’m cranky and bitter and hate fun. But can we please stop closing one of the two major highways that link the east and west sides, for an air show? So how does this photo relate to my bitterness? Well, yesterday I was going about as fast as those cars parked there in the photo. Click for higher res. I hope that by the time you’re reading this I’m in my car “opening it up” on I-90 for the Friday commute.

Crowds and speakers at Freeway dedication in downtown Seattle, 1967. Frye Hotel and Smith Tower in background. Image courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.

Extemporaneous Hi-Jinks @ Circle Tavern

July 29th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 15 Comments » border

And Charles Anderson comes through again! He has once again sent over some Seattle area restaurant menu scans from yesteryear. This time up is the Circle Tavern, just one mile south of the airport. Not only were there extemporaneous hi-jinks, but everyone was happy, and a grand time was assured. Also check out the tongue-in-cheek anecdote on the second page. Very nice. Click for higher res. Thanks again, Charles.

Circle Tavern menu. Image courtesy Charles Anderson.

Circle Tavern menu. Image courtesy Charles Anderson.

Talkin’ Royal Inn Hotel Blues

July 28th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | No Comments » border

Yesterday’s Have You Seen This House post is still going strong with some interesting leads. Stop by if you haven’t already. But today we roll on with this old photograph of the Royal Inn Hotel out by Seatac Airport. Looks like it’s still there — but now a Red Lion Hotel. I’ve resisted the urge to color correct this photo (I try to present all material I find “as is”) so don’t worry if you feel blue. Click for higher res.

Royal Inn of Seattle Tacoma Airport. 18220 Pacific Highway South, Seattle, Washington 98188. 150 luxurious guest rooms including Royal, Connecting and Special Suites. Sauna baths, interior therapy pool, heated swimming pool. Color TV throughout. Jolly King Restaurant and Lost Knight Room on premises. Conference and banquet rooms. Located adjacent to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport with free direct transportation and reservations. Photo by Max R. Jensen.

Have You Seen This House?

July 27th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 35 Comments » border

Fresh off his Seattle Speed Racer thread, Allen writes in needing more help. This time it’s a photo of a couple in a car just outside a very nice looking home. Drop by our comments if you can contribute anything. Allen writes:

I have another photo in my collection that I would like to submit. I found this at a local antique store. The photographer is Edwin Rodgers of Seattle so I assume the pic was taken here in town, I just don’t know where. I wonder if it’s possible if anyone recognizes the house. It’s probably a long shot, but I would love to find out.

Allen
Via E-Mail
7/26/2009

Seattle family in car c.1915? Photo courtesy Allen.

Bell System Pavilion 1962

July 24th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Vintage Ads | 12 Comments » border

What’s old is new again. Specifically, 50’s and 60’s style architecture are back and in fashion once again. I could very well see my architect friend Chris designing a building much like this one. This is an ad from the Seattle World’s Fair Official Souvenir Program showing the Bell System Pavilion. And the rendering was true to life. Any Vintage Seattle readers who stepped foot inside the actual pavilion that want to tell us what is was like — come join us in the comments. Click for higher res.

Communications… key to universal understanding. Bell Telephone System. Official Souvenir Program, Seattle World’s Fair 1962.

Lightly Railing On Light Rail

July 22nd, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 8 Comments » border

Just as The Seattle Times reports that the newest ligh-rail run’s ridership was relatively low on opening day, reader Richard P. Hill writes in with some thoughts:

Hey Cliffe,
As I haven’t decided yet whether to be happy or not about the new, $2.3 BILLION light train line, looking back at how much we’ve lost our way over the past 70 years is certainly nothing to be happy about, and in doing so, we’ve created quite a mess. Lucky are the relative few who live along the new line, while the most of Seattle continues on in auto gridlock. Maybe I’m just jealous.

Many of the comments on the Times’ site parallel my “train envy” of not having our own line down Fauntleroy — especially since we already had one almost 100 years ago. Riding the St.Charles Streetcar last month in New Orleans, which started running under steam power in 1835, just reinforced my disdain for the lack of vision from our city’s leaders, past and present. I guess we can lay the blame on Henry Ford and Standard Oil.

Richard P. Hill
Via E-Mail
7/21/2009

Streetcar at Youngstown Place grade crossing, 1930. Photograph courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives.

Transit ad, circa 1940s. Image courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives.

The Edgewater Inn

July 20th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 9 Comments » border

Seattle’s only over-water hotel, The Edgewater on Pier 67, opened in 1963. Over the years this famous hotel (originally named Camelot) has hosted The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, Led Zeppelin, among others. Speaking of Led Zep, check out the Wikipedia entry on The Shark Episode — I had not heard this bit of rock-n-roll lore before. Check out the 60’s era shot from Max R. Jensen.

Edgewater Inn. Pier 67, Seattle, Wash. World’s only Motor Hotel built entirely over water — across from the snow capped Olympic Mountains. Three minutes from City Center. Complete banquet facilities, sample rooms, coffee shop, Camelot dining room, Crown Terrace (dancing every night), three cocktail lounges, gift shop, barber shop. Color photo by Max R. Jensen.

Reframe: Queen Anne & Prospect

July 20th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Reframe | 6 Comments » border

I need a quick Reframe check on this 1953 photo of Queen Anne Avenue North and West Prospect Street. Is the dilapidated Queen Anne style house still there? Survey says… Nope. Looks like it was swallowed up sometime in the great black hole known as 1953-1980. Click for higher res.

Queen Anne style house at intersection of Queen Anne Avenue North and West Prospect Street. Photo by Marion Dean Ross, June 1953. Photo courtesy University of Oregon Libraries, Architecture of Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.

Good Enough For Government Locks

July 15th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 6 Comments » border

Heck of an episode of Deadliest Catch tonight, eh? Reminded that Sig Hansen and the boys of the Northwestern head through this territory as they set out — here is an old photo from my archives of Ballard’s Government Locks. No date on it, but I’d place it in the 1950’s. Click for higher res.

Government Locks, Seattle, Washington. Thousands of pleasure craft as well as the largest ocean freighters pass through these locks from the waters of Puget Sound to the fresh waters of Lake Union and Lake Washington. Ektachrome by Josef Scaylea.

Find Yourself 1914

July 14th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 12 Comments » border

Interesting circa 1914 shot of First Hill/Central District to have a look at today. That’s Providence Hospital in the distance — a key landmark for orientation. So this is looking East. Next to Providence is Jefferson so the next street to the right would be Alder. It looks like you can see Broadway and Boren meeting next to the fire station tower. So that would make the street in the immediate foreground Terrace Street. Am I wrong?

Providence Hospital in the distance. Photo by Frank H. Nowell. Circa 1914. Image courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.

Rubenak’s Half-Way House Souvenir Menu

July 13th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 5 Comments » border

Vintage Seattle contributor Charles Anderson comes through again on the menu front. This time he’s sent us scans of a Rubenak’s Half-Way House souvenir menu. The Restaurant was halfway between Seattle and Everett on Highway 99 (which was once called Pacific Highway 1). This is a really nice find — just check out that racy cover. Thanks for sending it in, Charles. Click on the thumbnails for the super high res versions (be warned: some of these come in at just under 2meg).

Rubenak’s Half-Way House — Souvenir Menu. Image courtesy Charles Anderson.

Rubenak’s Half-Way House — Souvenir Menu. Image courtesy Charles Anderson.

Rubenak’s Half-Way House — Souvenir Menu. Image courtesy Charles Anderson.

Rubenak’s Half-Way House — Souvenir Menu. Image courtesy Charles Anderson.

Rubenak’s Half-Way House — Souvenir Menu. Image courtesy Charles Anderson.

The Burke Building, What We’ve Lost

July 10th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Historic Buildings | 5 Comments » border

On Tuesday we took a look at the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building and Dave was asking for photos of the buildings it replaced. Well, here is one: The Burke Building. Located at 2nd and Marion, it was built in 1891 and designed by architect Elmer H. Fisher. In this super high res photo you can see the building elements worked into the ground floor of the Jackson Building. Click for the full view.

Photo shows the six-story Burke Building with many arched windows, a sign with a cross and a sign beginning with “JA.” “Burke Building” is carved into the building near the top. Photo by Werner Lenggenhager, courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.

Three Exciting Views Of Seattle

July 9th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Past Post | 8 Comments » border

Is “exciting” overstating it? Hmm, nah. Here are three views of downtown courtesy of some crinkle-cut late 1970’s era postcards. All are courtesy of legendary postcard photographer Max R. Jensen (more on him later) — always documenting the changing landscape. Click on the thumbnails for higher res versions.

This aerial view of Seattle from the north shows the downtown business district and part of Seattle’s busy harbor. In the center is the King County Domed Stadium. Towering Mt. Rainier dominates the horizon. Color photo by Max R. Jensen.

A view of downtown Seattle’s business district from the south with Space Needle in the background. Predominant buildings are (from left to right) the Federal Building, Seattle-First National Bank, Bank of California, and the Smith Tower. Color photo by Max R. Jensen.

An exciting evening view of Seattle, Washington’s downtown business district with majestic snow-covered Mount Rainier in the distance, 100 miles away, and the 600 foot Space Needle in the foreground. Also predominant in the skyline are the 42-story Bank of California Building and the circular Washington Plaza Hotel. Color photo by Max R. Jensen.

Bittersweet Henry Jackson Federal Building

July 7th, 2009 by Cliffe | Sorted Historic Buildings | 6 Comments » border

Perhaps it’s architectural relativism (what’s built today makes certain era’s buildings look not so bad) but I don’t mind the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in itself. Taking up the whole block at 2nd and Marion, it was built in 1974. You can’t make the 1970’s Brutalism case with it and the patterned inset windows privide a nice visual relief from today’s unrelenting flatness. However, the sadness around the old Federal Building is in what was torn down to make way for it. The Burke Building, Hotel Stevens, Tivoli Theater — all significant losses to Seattle’s downtown. In the photos below you can find certain elements of the Burke Building that were worked into the grounds. This can be taken as respectful or cruel but in general chalk this one up as bittersweet. Click for higher resolution.