Smith Tower, Seattle, Washington. May 25, 1972. Photo by Marion Dean Ross. Image courtesy University of Oregon Libraries, Architecture of Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
Smith Tower 1972
February 25th, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Miscellaneous |
9 Comments »
Here it is, Smith Tower, the most beautiful skyscraper in the city. The photo comes from Marion Dean Ross in May of 1972. Click for the high res and have a wonderful weekend.
Smith Tower, Seattle, Washington. May 25, 1972. Photo by Marion Dean Ross. Image courtesy University of Oregon Libraries, Architecture of Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
Smith Tower, Seattle, Washington. May 25, 1972. Photo by Marion Dean Ross. Image courtesy University of Oregon Libraries, Architecture of Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
Jensen’s Naval Supply Depot
February 22nd, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 3 Comments »
Today we’ve got some f resh new Jensen photograph for you. This time he was perched high atop Magnolia Bluff spying the Naval Supply Depot below during what looks like the 50′s. You’ll recall that Max R. Jensen himself was part of the Navy, the SeaBees specifically. Click for the high res.
A vista of Seattle, Washington waterfront and the Naval Supply Depot from Magnolia Bluff. Ektachrome by Max R. Jensen.
A vista of Seattle, Washington waterfront and the Naval Supply Depot from Magnolia Bluff. Ektachrome by Max R. Jensen.
Rendering Washington Plaza 1965
February 18th, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Historic Buildings | 17 Comments »
Earlier this month we had a look at Earle Duff’s J.C. Penney rendering from Northgate Mall. Here we are with more Duff stuff from the 1960′s. Once again Mr. Duff mixes architectural rendering with art while representing architect John Graham. The acrylic p ainting shows a concept of the Washington Plaza Hotel, now known in more cirular form as the Westin Hotel. Click for the ultra high-res glory.
Architectural drawing of Washington Plaza Hotel (Seattle, Washington). 1965. Acrylic on board by Earle Duff for John Graham & Company. The Washington Plaza Hotel opened in June 1969, its original circular tower becoming part of the Westin Hotel in 2001. Image courtesy U.W. University Libraries Digital Collection.
Architectural drawing of Washington Plaza Hotel (Seattle, Washington). 1965. Acrylic on board by Earle Duff for John Graham & Company. The Washington Plaza Hotel opened in June 1969, its original circular tower becoming part of the Westin Hotel in 2001. Image courtesy U.W. University Libraries Digital Collection.
Plummer’s General Store 1860
February 15th, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 16 Comments »
Target is coming to downtown Seattle. But long before there were “big box” retailers in our city, there was Plummer’s General store at 1st Ave. S. & Main St. Built in 1858, Plummer’s burned to the ground during the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. MOHAI has more on Plummer the man:
Charles Plummer’s general store at 1st Ave. and Main St., 1860. Includes wharf and man on front porch. Plummer House @ 1st Ave. S. & Main St built 1858, burned 6/6/89. Image courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.
Charles Plummer was one of Seattle’s early residents and businessmen. In 1854, he and a partner opened a general store and bar room with a bowling alley in the basement. Four years later, he opened a new two-story building and sold sold dry goods, groceries, and hardware. The upper floor was used for dances. Plummer also built a wood frame house nearby.
Charles Plummer’s general store at 1st Ave. and Main St., 1860. Includes wharf and man on front porch. Plummer House @ 1st Ave. S. & Main St built 1858, burned 6/6/89. Image courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.
Jensen’s South Gate & Ford Building
February 8th, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Past Post | 6 Comments »
Even just a cursory glance of our Max R. Jensen photo archives will show the depth of Max’s coverage of the 1962 World’ s Fair in Seattle. No angle was ingored, including the South Gate and Ford Building pictured below from a promotional postcard. Click for the high res.
Seattle World’s Fair. South Gate and Ford Building. Porte du Sud — Pavillon de la compagnie Ford. La Puerta del Sur y el Edificio Ford. Color photo by Max R. Jensen.
Seattle World’s Fair. South Gate and Ford Building. Porte du Sud — Pavillon de la compagnie Ford. La Puerta del Sur y el Edificio Ford. Color photo by Max R. Jensen.
Seattle Lake Shore and Eastern Railway
February 4th, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 16 Comments »
Vintage Seattle contributor Allen wins again with this old photograph he dug up in a pile of pictu res at a local bookshop. You can help him out by providing more clues over at his flickr page. Thanks Allen! Click for higher res.
Seattle Lake Shore and Eastern Railway c.1887-1889. Seattle waterfront. Looking east up Columbia Ave. The Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern only operated between 1885 and 1896. Seattle’s Burke Gilman Trail replaced part of the original tracks of this railroad. Vintage print, but does not date to the time of the original pho tograph. Photo courtesy Allen. http://www.flickr.com/photos/crackdog/3314566435/
Seattle Lake Shore and Eastern Railway c.1887-1889. Seattle waterfront. Looking east up Columbia Ave. The Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern only operated between 1885 and 1896. Seattle’s Burke Gilman Trail replaced part of the original tracks of this railroad. Vintage print, but does not date to the time of the original pho tograph. Photo courtesy Allen. http://www.flickr.com/photos/crackdog/3314566435/
Rendering J.C. Penney 1964
February 1st, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Historic Buildings | 14 Comments »
Scope out lengendary Seattle architecture firm John Graham & Company’s beautiful acrylic on board rendering of the J.C. Penney’s at Northgate Mall from 1964. As you may know and for better or worse, the modern American mall concept was born right here in our city. According to U.W. University Libraries Digital Collection:
Architectural drawing of J.C. Penney’s Department Store at Northgate Mall (Seattle, Washington). March 1964. Acrylic on board by John Graham & Company. Image courtesy U.W. University Libraries Digital Collection.
John Graham Jr. received international recognition for his large scale shopping complexes. Combining architectural skill with business acumen, Graham helped shape Seattle’s commercial environment after World War II. Born in Seattle to architect John Graham Sr., Graham Jr. enrolled in the University of Washington’s architecture program in 1926. Transferring to Yale in 1928, Graham graduted with a degree in fine arts four years later and initially pursued a career in merchandising rather than architecture. When John Graham Sr. retired in 1946, Graham Jr. took over his father’s architecture firm. When the post-World War II economy spurred suburban growth and expansive commercial development in King County, Graham, groomed in retail management, recognized the potential for innovative design strategies. With an initial collaboration with department store owner Rex Allison, Graham conceived the model for the suburban shopping center. That model was first realized with Northgate Shopping Center, whose key elements included a large scale complex with a combined concentration of shops, abundant parking and easy highway access. When Graham decided to enclose the entire complex, the modern mall was born. Founded in 1902 by James Cash Penney and William Henry McManus, JCPenny was chosen as the official name of original dry goods stores in 1913 when Penney accepted a majority ownership of the chain. Drawing show’ s an alternate name for the department store, propably an appellation used by the architect and not representative of the original signage.
Architectural drawing of J.C. Penney’s Department Store at Northgate Mall (Seattle, Washington). March 1964. Acrylic on board by John Graham & Company. Image courtesy U.W. University Libraries Digital Collection.
Jensen’s Teal Pants & Floating Bridge
January 28th, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 9 Comments »
Let’s take this friday to share this idyllic view with the woman in the bright teal pants. Let’s also take this Friday to wonder… did the woman in the bright teal pants ever th ink her bright teal pants would be featured on a blog in the year 2011? Did Max R. Jensen finally, in an otherwise stellar career, make a lapse in judgement in having the woman in the teal pants in the frame ? Let’s just accept it this Friday. Click for high res.
Lake Washington Floating Bridge, about 1 1/2 miles long, is part of scenic U.S. Highway I-90, leading to Snoqualmie Pass and points East. Color photo by Max R. Jensen.
Lake Washington Floating Bridge, about 1 1/2 miles long, is part of scenic U.S. Highway I-90, leading to Snoqualmie Pass and points East. Color photo by Max R. Jensen.
Reframe: Where Two Girls Once Stood
January 25th, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Reframe | 5 Comments »
Today’s Reframe from the Seattle Municipal Archives shows two girls in August of 1960 taking center stage in the frame. The modern view is a little less cute. I think I prefer the girls striking poses to the DEAD END sign, don’t you? Click here for the modern day view. Actually, don’t.
Seattle Municipal Archives photograph of Sand Point Way Storm Sewers Right-of-Way. E. 75th St. between 57th Ave. NE. and 55th Ave. NE. Photo taken Aug 15, 1960. Photograph courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives.
Modern day street view courtesy Google Maps. [click here]
Seattle Municipal Archives photograph of Sand Point Way Storm Sewers Right-of-Way. E. 75th St. between 57th Ave. NE. and 55th Ave. NE. Photo taken Aug 15, 1960. Photograph courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives.
Modern day street view courtesy Google Maps. [click here]
Rendering Seattle Art Museum 1931
January 20th, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Historic Buildings | 6 Comments »
I can’t get enough of the Art-Deco era conceptual drawings — this one being my favorite from Seattle. The Seattle Art Museum, which opened in 1933, can’t be far behind though. Check out this concept from architects Bebb & Gould. This is the good stuff — click on the image for higher res.
Conceptual drawing of the Seattle Art Museum (Seattle, Washington), August-September 1931 design for entrance facade. Graphite and colored pencil on tracing paper by Bebb & Gould.
Conceptual drawing of the Seattle Art Museum (Seattle, Washington), August-September 1931 design for entrance facade. Graphite and colored pencil on tracing paper by Bebb & Gould.
Jensen’s Fishing Boat
January 18th, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 12 Comments »
Nothing softens our harsh, mostly concrete waterfront like an old fishing bo at unloading a catch. We’re back, folks, and Max R. Jensen’s work is here to wecome us. Hope you all had a great MLK Jr. Day. This Ektachrome is most likely from the 1950′s and let me just officially beat Matt the Journeyman to it… water tower! Click for higher res.
A fishing bo at unloading fish at a Seattle dock. Commercial fishing is one of Seattle’s important industries. Ektachrome by Max R. Jensen.
A fishing bo at unloading fish at a Seattle dock. Commercial fishing is one of Seattle’s important industries. Ektachrome by Max R. Jensen.
Wigs, Bell Bottoms & Coca-Cola 1974
January 12th, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 22 Comments »
Prolific Seattle documentarian Marion Dean Ross is back with this 1974 photograph of Pike Place Market. There’s some nice signage to take in here — including Coca-Cola, wigs and bell bottoms. What a combination. We talked about the brick vs blacktop roads in this post from the same photo session. Click for high res.
Pike Place Market. May 5, 1974. Photo by Marion Dean Ross. Image courtesy University of Oregon Libraries, Architecture of Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
Pike Place Market. May 5, 1974. Photo by Marion Dean Ross. Image courtesy University of Oregon Libraries, Architecture of Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle Waterfront 190x
January 10th, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 17 Comments »
Shots of the Seattle waterfront from Puget Sound are a time honored tradition around here. This one comes to us from the Detroit Publishing Company Photograph Collection between 1900 and 1910. Click for higher res.
Waterfront, Seattle Washington, Detroit Publishing Company Photograph Collection, between 1900 and 1910. Image courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Waterfront, Seattle Washington, Detroit Publishing Company Photograph Collection, between 1900 and 1910. Image courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Jensen’s Government Locks
January 4th, 2011 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 5 Comments »
And we’re back! What better way to welcome 2011 is there than a Max R. Jensen photograph. This shot of the Government Locks in Ballard was probably taken in the 1950′s. Not even a blog h@x0r can keep us from posting vintage Seattle imagery. Please ignore the error messages on the bottom of pages as I’m still looking into that (blasted h@x0r!). Click for the high res.
U. S. Government Locks, second largest locks in the world. The locks make it possible for large ships to come into the heart of the city to Lake Union and Lake Washington as well as bringing the small craft into a snug harbor. Ektachrome by Max R. Jensen.
U. S. Government Locks, second largest locks in the world. The locks make it possible for large ships to come into the heart of the city to Lake Union and Lake Washington as well as bringing the small craft into a snug harbor. Ektachrome by Max R. Jensen.
Kennell’s University Bridge 193x
December 15th, 2010 by Cliffe | Sorted Photo Exposure | 5 Comments »
Vintage Seattle reader Kristin Kennell was kind enough to send in this 1930′s shot snapped from the University Bridge. It was taken by her father, Ed Kennell, and was his first 5×7 negative. Thanks Kristin.
The University Bridge, 1930′s. Photographed by Ed Kennell. Photo courtesy Kristin Kennell.
The University Bridge, 1930′s. Photographed by Ed Kennell. Photo courtesy Kristin Kennell.
