Seattle Historic Postcard Collection
Preview up to 100 items from this collection below. Highlights of early 20th century Seattle, as depicted through our historic postcards. Cards include images of buildings, attractions and events from the 1900s to the 1960s along with messages between friends and family.
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King Street Station interior, ca.
Transcribed from postcard: "Interior of Union Depot." During the early 1900's, there was increasing interest in connecting railroads with Seattle. The high demand and competition between railways resulted in two railway stations being built directly next to each other at 4th Avenue and Jackson Street. King Street Station (the interior of which is depicted in this postcard) was constructed in 1906 and can be distinguished by its tower. Union Station, originally known as the Oregon and Washington Station, was constructed in 1911. Confusingly, both stations were sometimes referred to as "union stations" or "union depots" due to the fact that multiple railroad lines were shared within the same terminal. For a good example of the differences between Union Station and King Street Station see spl_pc_01011 where Union Station appears in the foreground and King Street Station appears in the background.
Identifier: spl_pc_01007
Date: 1911
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New York Block, ca. 1907
The New York Block, constructed between 1890 and 1892, was located at the corner of Cherry Street and Second Avenue.
Identifier: spl_pc_00230
Date: 1907
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Municipal News, v. 53, no. 21, Dec. 9, 1963
Identifier: spl_mn_818362_53_21
Date: 1963-12-09
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King Street Station., ca. 1906
During the early 1900s, there was increasing interest in connecting railroads with Seattle. The high demand and competition between railways resulted in two railway stations being built directly next to each other at 4th Avenue and Jackson Street. King Street Station (which is depicted in this postcard) was constructed in 1906 and can be distinguished by its tower. Union Station, originally known as the Oregon and Washington Station, was constructed in 1911. (Alternative names for Union Station include the Union Depot and the Northern Pacific Great Northern Depot.) The postcard captioning can be confusing because both stations were sometimes referred to as "union stations" due to the fact that multiple railroad lines were shared within the same terminal. For a good example of the differences between Union Station and King Street Station see spl_pc_01011 where Union Station appears in the foreground and King Street Station appears in the background.
Identifier: spl_pc_01019
Date: 1906
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Villa Academy, ca. 1977
Sacred Heart's Villa. Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Currently called Villa Academy.
Identifier: spl_pc_00303
Date: 1977
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Pacific Builder and Engineer, v. 4, no. 35, Sep. 1, 1906
Page 3 article discusses the sluicing methods used during the Denny Regrade.
Identifier: spl_pbe_3022043_1906_04_35
Date: 1906-09-01
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City Hall Park, Frye Hotel and Smith Tower, ca. 1915
Street view of City Hall Park, Frye Hotel and Smith Tower. The Frye Hotel was constructed in 1911 and designed by the architects Charles H. Bebb and Louis L. Mendel. The project was funded by Seattle pioneer George F. Frye and his wife Louisa Frye (originally of the Denny family). The hotel was converted to low income housing in the 1970s. Smith Tower was constructed in 1912 under the supervision of the architecture firm Gaggin and Gaggin. It was the tallest building in Seattle until the construction of the Space Needle in 1962.
Identifier: spl_pc_00219
Date: 1915
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Bungalow Magazine, v. 3, no. 1, Jan. 1914
Home of Joseph F. and Clara Dubail at 6002 3rd Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107 featured on pages 49-53. Home of William L. and Grace Hoffeditz at 6259 1st Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107 featured on pages 54-60.
Identifier: spl_bm_531811_1914_3_1
Date: 1914-01
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Frederick & Nelson
In Seattle, Christmas isn't Christmas without a Day at Frederick & Nelson. Seattle's most beautiful department store had rolled out the red carpet for its friends and neighbors this Christmas. The scene shows one of the First floor aisles.
Identifier: spl_pc_00224
Date: 1955
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Pacific Builder and Engineer, v. 4, no. 21, May. 26, 1906
Page 3 article discusses architect Augustus Warren Gould's visit to San Francisco to see the ruins of the fire.
Identifier: spl_pbe_3022043_1906_04_21
Date: 1906-05-26