August 15 – September 20, 1889
The Rapid Transformation of Pioneer Square
Three P-I items trace Seattle permits and dock traffic around the 1889 fire.
3 reports in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 15 – September 20, 1889.
The story
In August and September 1889, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer published three items on Seattle’s building boom and commercial activity, not specifically on Pioneer Square: a weekly building-permit ledger, a review of May 1889 brick-and-frame permits, and a post-fire account of commerce through docks and rails. The reports present the permits and trade as evidence of rapid growth but give no counts, costs, or addresses.
Told from the 3 reports below. The reports are the record.
The archive grouped these reports automatically, by date, place and subject.
The reports 3
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Rapid Transformation of Pioneer Square
A weekly ledger of building permits reveals a city under construction, capturing the final boom years before the Great Seattle Fire of 1889.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Building Boom of 1889: Seattle’s Rapid Transformation
A look at the official building permits issued in May 1889, documenting the surge of brick and frame construction that was reshaping the city just weeks before the Great Seattle Fire.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Seattle Boom in Black and White: 1889
A look at the sheer volume of commerce flowing through Seattle's docks and rails just weeks after the Great Seattle Fire, showcasing a city obsessed with growth, brick, and iron.
From the pages
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Aug 15, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Aug 27, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Sep 20, 1889
Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Public domain.