September 8 – September 19, 1889
The Real Estate Boom of 1890
Seattle land advertisements, 1889: promoters sold lots using prominent names.
4 reports in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 8 – September 19, 1889.
The story
Between September 8 and 19, 1889, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer carried a series of real estate advertisements promoting land development in and around Seattle — among them a booster's pitch for West Seattle, a development near Madison Street, and the Renton Addition. The notices list the city's prominent figures as first investors, buyers, or testimonials, and one anticipates a windfall from future infrastructure expansion. These are promotional advertisements rather than news accounts, so the papers report sales claims and marketing language, not verified transactions or outcomes.
Told from the 4 reports below. The reports are the record.
The archive grouped these reports automatically, by date, place and subject.
The reports 4
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Real Estate Boom of 1890
A booster’s pitch for West Seattle highlights the city's turn-of-the-century obsession with land development and panoramic vistas.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Real Estate Gentrifiers of 1889
A bold advertisement from the Post-Intelligencer lists the city’s power brokers as the first investors in a new development, explicitly using their status to sell land to the aspiring middle class.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Seattle Land Boom’s Elite Sales Pitch
A 19th-century real estate advertisement lists Seattle’s power brokers as testimonials for a major development push near Madison Street.
- The Seattle Post-IntelligencerThe Renton Addition Land Grab
A 1889 real estate advertisement lists the city's power brokers as buyers in a new development, telegraphing a future windfall ahead of infrastructure expansion.
From the pages
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Sep 8, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Sep 14, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Sep 16, 1889
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer · Sep 19, 1889
Library of Congress, Chronicling America. Public domain.