On Leave 1954
January 11th, 2010 @ 12:12 am by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure
Vintage Seattle reader Tim was kind enough to send in a few 1954-era photos from his father coming home through Seattle from military duty. The “mystery intersection” to me looks like either Alaskan and Columbia or Alaskan and Yesler. Tim writes:
Love the site, quite a resource. You’ve helped me Identify two pictures in my Fathers old army snapshots as the Lake Washington bridge circa 1954 (I assume he came thought seattle coming home from Japan).
I have two other I was hoping you might be able to Identify or provide more info on. One is of two sightseeing boats, the Wave and Harbor Tourist (only reason I knew these shots were from Seattle) The other is of an unknown intersection (I assume my Father was Impressed by the double deck highway). Thanks.
I wish there were more sites like yours there is a lot of history lying around in old shoe boxes that might easily be lost.
Tim Rosencrans
Via E-mail
12/24/2009
I have two other I was hoping you might be able to Identify or provide more info on. One is of two sightseeing boats, the Wave and Harbor Tourist (only reason I knew these shots were from Seattle) The other is of an unknown intersection (I assume my Father was Impressed by the double deck highway). Thanks.
I wish there were more sites like yours there is a lot of history lying around in old shoe boxes that might easily be lost.
Tim Rosencrans
Via E-mail
12/24/2009
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| Seattle area candid shot, circa 1954. Photo courtesy Tim Rosencrans. |
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| Seattle area candid shot, circa 1954. Photo courtesy Tim Rosencrans. |
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| Seattle area candid shot, circa 1954. Photo courtesy Tim Rosencrans. |
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| Seattle area candid shot, circa 1954. Photo courtesy Tim Rosencrans. |
January 11th, 2010 @ 1:11 am
The mystery intersection shot would have been most likely taken from the platform in front of the old Colman Dock building, where the pedestrian overpass connected. You can see a little bit of the building on the far right.
A front view of the building is here
http://content.lib.washington.edu/cgi-bin/viewer.exe?CISOROOT=/imlsmohai&CISOPTR=557&CISOMODE=thumb
A better view of the platform, taken when the building housed the Black Ball offices, can be seen here
http://content.lib.washington.edu/cgi-bin/viewer.exe?CISOROOT=/curtis&CISOPTR=1162&CISOMODE=thumb
And for a similar shot as the one in question, here’s a 1951 view during construction of the Viaduct
http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?s1=colman+dock&S2=&S3=&l=100&Sect7=THUMBON&Sect6=HITOFF&Sect5=PHOT1&Sect4=AND&Sect3=PLURON&d=PHO3&p=1&u=%2F%7Epublic%2Fphot1.htm&r=13&f=G
January 11th, 2010 @ 2:19 am
Yes its definitely Alaskan and Colombia shot from the Colman Dock building. The building and the viaduct match perfectly. Thanks
Note now I can clearly read the sign on the other building its”Alaska Native Industries Cooperative Association”. Its the only thing other than the viaduct that still exists, though they have moved quite a ways down the road.
January 11th, 2010 @ 12:10 pm
Look at that shiny new concrete, two-story, view-blocking highway traversing the shoreline. I think every littoral municipality should have one!
January 11th, 2010 @ 12:14 pm
In the last shot, the metal grating between the photographer’s car and the cars up ahead gives me sweet memories — I can here the sudden dissonant drone and feel my teeth rattling a little bit — as do the guide pilings up ahead at the donut. Thanks for sharing these with us Tim!