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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Exterior to African Exhibit Pavilion
Africa Pavilion of the Century 21 Exposition (Seattle World's Fair). "The nations of Africa, the majority of which have achieved independence since the end of World War II, are introduced and explained in the African Nations Pavilion on the International Mall. The exhibit shows how experts expect the African continent to develop in the next four decades. It explains the differences between the African peoples and the size and shape of the many new nations on the world’s second largest continent. Included in the displays, which were arranged in cooperation with several universities and associations, are African artifacts and handicrafts." (Official Guide Book, Seattle World's Fair 1962. Seattle: Acme Publications. p. 84.)
Identifier: spl_wl_exp_00019
Date: 1962-04-18
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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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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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St. James Cathedral interior, ca. 1910
Bishop Edward O'Dea purchased the land for St. James Cathedral's First Hill site in 1903 after successfully petitioning the Pope to relocate the episcopal see from Vancouver, Washington to Seattle. The cornerstone for the building was laid in 1905 with more than 5,000 people in attendance and the cathedral officially opened on December 15, 1907.
Identifier: spl_pc_00309
Date: 1910?
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Come by Sail, Rail, or Hit the Trail! The Golden Potlatch, June 14, 1911
Postcard advertising the Golden Potlatch Festival, featuring three images on front showing the Seattle waterfront, a forest road and King Street Station. Transcribed from postcard: "A Hot Time in a Cool Place - Come! Seattle's Great Carnival Week of July 17th, 1911 Welcome!" Printed on back of postcard: "51. July 17, 1897, the steamer Portland arrived in Seattle bringing $500,000 in gold dust, the first proof of the rich strikes in the North. Within twenty-four hours the greatest gold rush of modern time was under way."
Identifier: spl_pc_36038
Date: 1911-06-14
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Residences on Capitol Hill, ca. 1905
Street view of residences on Capitol Hill.
Identifier: spl_pc_00606
Date: 1905?
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City Hall Park, Frye Hotel and Smith Tower, ca. 1915
Street view of City Hall Park, Frye Hotel, the King County Courthouse 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 Denny Frye, for whom the hotel is named. The hotel was converted to low income housing in the 1970s. The Smith Tower opened in 1914 and was the tallest building in Seattle until the construction of the Space Needle in 1962. The tower was designed by the Gaggin and Gaggin architectural firm. The King County Courthouse opened in 1916 and was constructed by architect A. Warren Gould. Additional stories were eventually added to the five story structure seen here during renovations in the 1930s.
Identifier: spl_pc_00214
Date: 1915?
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Collins Field House, ca. 1910
Transcribed from postcard: "Four of Seattle's playgrounds have been provided with these Field Houses containing Libraries, Club Rooms, Assembly Halls, and Gymnasiums." The Collins Field House, located at the east end of Collins park on between 14th and 16th Avenues S., was one of three recreation centers built by the city in the early 1900's. It followed the center at Hiawatha Park and the Ballard Field House. The Collins Field House was torn down in 1975.
Identifier: spl_pc_00702
Date: 1910?
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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_01002
Date: 1906?
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