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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1860 | 2 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1864 | 2 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 33 |
| 1877 | 15 |
| 1878 | 6 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1880 | 7 |
| 1882 | 7 |
| 1883 | 33 |
| 1884 | 13 |
| 1885 | 18 |
| 1886 | 7 |
| 1887 | 13 |
| 1888 | 11 |
| 1889 | 68 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 38 |
| 1892 | 61 |
| 1893 | 50 |
| 1894 | 46 |
| 1895 | 66 |
| 1898 | 4 |
| 1899 | 14 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 3 |
| 1903 | 35 |
| 1904 | 21 |
| 1905 | 4 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 37 |
| 1909 | 48 |
| 1910 | 13 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 3 |
| 1916 | 5 |
| 1917 | 2 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1928 | 1 |
720 stories matching erect
- The Great Northern's Building Boom
New bricks and stone are transforming the downtown core as the Great Northern Railway’s arrival spurs a flurry of commercial construction.
- A Fireproof Infirmary for the Poor
After city officials refused to participate in a joint facility, the county moves forward with plans for a specialized, fireproof hospital at the poor farm.
- The Governor’s Grand Brick Block
As Seattle expands, former Washington Territorial Governor Watson C. Squire commissions a massive new downtown commercial building on South Second and Main Streets.
- The Real Estate Fever That Never Broke
As coal shipments swell and new wharves rise, Seattle’s property market remains feverish in May 1889—just months before the Great Fire reshaped the city.
- The School Levy Arithmetic Blunder
A clerical error in West Seattle led to a tax rate ten times higher than intended, creating a fiscal headache for early property owners.
- The Monument to the Fallen: Olympia’s Call to Honor Washington’s War Dead
A committee of eleven civic leaders has launched a campaign to erect a permanent memorial at the state capital for the volunteers who died in the Spanish-American and Philippine wars, arguing that their sacrifice demands an enduring tribute.
- The Fight for Fourth and Washington
Seattle’s Chinese merchants attempt to build a landmark, only to be blocked by discriminatory property laws.
- Seattle's Frontier Expansion
A report on the rapid growth, construction, and economic development of Seattle in 1883.
- Kennewick Builds a Ballpark to Lure the Pasco Team
Charles Conway donates land near the bridge for a first-class diamond and grandstand, hoping to bring the best team in Central Washington to play home games on this side of the river.
- Seattle’s Tinderbox: A Warning from the Ashes of Reno
As a massive fire ravages Nevada, this Seattle editor sounds the alarm over the city’s wooden buildings and exorbitant insurance costs, urging brick construction before disaster strikes.
- The Northern Pacific's Tacoma Depot Is a Rat-Infested Shed
While the railroad pours a quarter-million into a new Seattle terminal, Tacoma commuters are left with a miserable shack.
- Tacoma Is Building—and Mostly for People Who Plan to Stay
Building permits jumped 68 percent over 1903, with new homes rising for owners rather than investors.
- Tragedy in the Surf: Survey Lieutenant Drowns
A routine mission to erect a coastal signal turns fatal for a U.S. Coast Survey officer and four sailors at the mouth of Joe Creek.
- The Largest Lumber Mill on the Sound
Pittsburgh entrepreneurs break ground on a massive steam-powered mill near Olympia, promising to slash construction costs in the Territory.
- The Great Seattle School Expansion of 1890
Facing a tidal wave of new students, Seattle’s rapid development forced the school board to rent dozens of extra classrooms and issue massive bonds just to keep pace.
- A Plea for Better Schoolhouses
Walla Walla’s school superintendent warns that log-cabin schools are a poor substitute for real investment in public education.
- The Seattle Skyline’s Growing Pains
Developers and City Council clash over property rights, railroad access, and the birth of a brick-and-mortar downtown.
- The Price of Public Safety
City council debates delaying fire limits due to high brick costs.
- Seattle Approves a New School Wing as 500 Children Wait for Desks
The school board chose a 20-room brick plan for Pontius, starting with one wing to relieve crowding at Denny, Homer, Columbia and Central.
- The Iron Shed Rebellion
After the Great Seattle Fire, one man defies new building codes by erecting corrugated iron structures in the fire-restricted zone, triggering a city-wide showdown over safety and property rights.
- The Fair Moves for a Mill
Walla Walla's annual fruit fair loses its historic grounds to industrial development as a new steam chop mill prepares to grind.
- The Judge Says the School Board Can Spend the Building Levy on Anything It Likes
A resident of the newly annexed district sued to force Seattle's school money into bricks and mortar only. Judge Osborn dissolved the injunction, sustained the board's demurrer, and sent the plaintiffs back to rewrite their complaint.
- Rising from the Ashes: The Great Seattle Fire of 1888
While the downtown core smoldered, Seattle citizens gathered in the courthouse—lit by tallow dips—to demand a modern city of brick and stone, rejecting makeshift wooden shacks and dreaming of a reconstructed metropolis.
- Streetcar Companies Balk at City Lighting Mandate
Seattle's transit operators claim they cannot afford to install lights along their tracks as ordered by the City Council.
- The 'Scrawniest Things' on Second Street: A 1889 Fight Over Slum Housing
When the city's building inspector sought clarification on code, he triggered a blistering critique of the shoddy, dangerous 'rookeries' being erected in the shadow of the Great Seattle Fire.