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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14th Ave. homes on Capitol Hill, ca. 1910
The Moore Mansion, located at 811 14th Ave E, appears at the far left of the postcard. The 1903 home was built and owned by James A. Moore who developed much of the Capitol Hill neighborhood with through his business, Moore Investment Company.
Identifier: spl_pc_00604
Date: 1910?
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The Salmon Stream
In 1906, Edward S. Curtis received funding from J.P. Morgan to begin work on "The North American Indian," a twenty volume set of photographs and text documenting Native American tribes throughout the western United States. The thirteenth volume, featuring the Hupa, Yuork, Karok, Wiyot, Tolowa, Tututni, Shasta, Achomawi and Klamath tribes, was published in 1924.
Identifier: spl_nai_13_452
Date: 1923
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A Feast Day at Acoma
In 1906, Edward S. Curtis received funding from J.P. Morgan to begin work on "The North American Indian," a twenty volume set of photographs and text documenting Native American tribes throughout the western United States. The sixteenth volume, featuring the Tiwa and Keres tribes, was published in 1926.
Identifier: spl_nai_16_565
Date: 1904
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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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New Hotel Washington, ca. 1909
Transcribed from postcard: "The New Washington is Seattle's largest fashionable hotel, the finest in the Northwest. It is, however, but one of many of the elegant hosteleries [sic] in the City."
Identifier: spl_pc_00824
Date: 1909?
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A Summer Home at Alki Point Washington, 1906
View of West Seattle residence at Alki Point with people posed on the front porch.
Identifier: spl_pc_00602
Date: 1906
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Providence Hospital, ca. 1911
Between 1907 and 1912, Seattle's Providence Hospital built a large new brick building, at a cost of one million dollars. Designed by Somervell & Cote, it was a full-service hospital with six operating rooms and a nursing school.
Identifier: spl_pc_00904
Date: 1911
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Central Building, ca. 1907
Designed by C.R. Aldrich, the Central Building was completed in 1907. At the time of construction, 3rd Ave. was being regraded to establish a more gentle slope and allow a retail core to take hold in the downtown area. The Central Building served several purposes, providing much needed office space for businesses.
Identifier: spl_pc_00231
Date: 1907?
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Federal Building at 3rd Ave. and Union St., ca. 1909
Street view of the Federal Building in downtown Seattle (also known as the U.S. Court House, Custom House and Post Office Building). Construction on the Federal Building began in 1903 and ended in 1908. The building was located at the intersection of Union Street and Third Avenue, which was being regraded at the time. The Third Avenue regrade left a gap of four feet down to the new sidewalk which resulted in a new set of stairs being added to the building's exterior. The building was demolished in 1958.
Identifier: spl_pc_00410
Date: 1909?
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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.) Confusingly, 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_01003
Date: 1906?
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