Sea-Tac Airport Evolution

October 23rd, 2009 @ 12:02 am by Cliffe | Sorted Past Post |
Here comes another Max R. Jensen special. This 1970′s era Sea-Tac Airport shot can be compared to these 50′s shots. One thing you’ll note is the Photoshopped jet — groovy. Click for higher res and have a nice weekend.
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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Color Photo: Max R. Jensen.

6 Responses to “Sea-Tac Airport Evolution”

  1. Adam Parast says:

    WOW!! Look at all the extra space. I can’t imagine what the port would have had to do if they weren’t forward looking and saved all that extra room.

  2. Shannon C. says:

    I barely recognize the airport without permanent, ongoing construction! ;)
    I also love that there are about six cars in that photo, during the daytime no less. I can’t even fathom Seattle that way.

  3. Seattle Greg says:

    Best of all is the last minute photoshop placement in the post card. That is the very first Boeing 747 in it’s original Boeing Livery. You can see this one parked today at the Museum of Flight Airpark, still painted with all that you can make out in the postcard.

    That WOULD make it a bit more accurate, as the plane appears to sort of be on approach to King County Field. (AKA Boeing Field) althought it might take out the Holiday Inn across from the airport with an engine or two at that altitude…

    You can almost hear them… “Hey, this would sell better with a Boeing Jet in it. Too bad there was not a good shot of one landing or taking off… go find a shot and edit it in…”

  4. I love all that grass, as if they had expected people to picnic there. A postcard of the same scene today might appropriately show chasms full of magma, maybe some tar pits.

  5. Paul Henry says:

    The original airport structure seen in the 1950s photo is actually still there–it’s the main terminal area just behind ticketing and between Concourses B and C. It’s been completely surrounded by the much larger current structure, but the roof and original control tower still poke out the top of the central terminal.

    Overhead view: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&ll=47.443688,-122.302479&spn=0.001087,0.00284&t=h&z=19

    Bird’s eye: http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=rx6j2r4t77q3&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=37672934&encType=1

    Amazing how small it was compared to the airport we know today!

  6. Oran Viriyincy says:

    Wow… that parking structure compared to today’s. So much parking!

    This must have been like in the middle of nowhere back then.

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