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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 7 |
| 1858 | 4 |
| 1859 | 6 |
| 1860 | 6 |
| 1861 | 11 |
| 1862 | 6 |
| 1863 | 4 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1865 | 2 |
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1872 | 17 |
| 1876 | 153 |
| 1877 | 135 |
| 1878 | 70 |
| 1879 | 9 |
| 1880 | 24 |
| 1882 | 33 |
| 1883 | 186 |
| 1884 | 99 |
| 1885 | 110 |
| 1886 | 59 |
| 1887 | 63 |
| 1888 | 93 |
| 1889 | 319 |
| 1890 | 55 |
| 1891 | 199 |
| 1892 | 361 |
| 1893 | 330 |
| 1894 | 241 |
| 1895 | 340 |
| 1897 | 7 |
| 1898 | 27 |
| 1899 | 54 |
| 1900 | 6 |
| 1902 | 9 |
| 1903 | 148 |
| 1904 | 122 |
| 1905 | 23 |
| 1907 | 7 |
| 1908 | 79 |
| 1909 | 224 |
| 1910 | 50 |
| 1911 | 11 |
| 1912 | 7 |
| 1914 | 23 |
| 1915 | 40 |
| 1916 | 67 |
| 1917 | 50 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1923 | 24 |
| 1924 | 18 |
| 1925 | 7 |
| 1928 | 2 |
| 1929 | 2 |
3,954 stories matching build
- 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.
- Newport Voters Reject School Addition, 139 to 30
With classrooms filling and no fireproof building in sight, District No. 115 voted down an addition—leaving the board to rent rooms around town.
- The Brick Blocks That Told Olympia It Had Arrived
In 1891, three pressed-brick buildings rose along Olympia’s business streets—and boosters read them as proof the wooden capital was becoming a real city.
- A Temporary Solution for Seattle's Growing Pains
Business leaders move to quickly construct a wooden hotel to address the city's urgent lack of lodging.
- The 1891 Building Laws That Shaped Seattle
A deep dive into the rigid safety mandates—from fire-proof walls to mandatory fire escapes—that dictated the construction of Seattle’s early downtown.
- A Power Station to Light Newport
The Northern Idaho & Montana Power Co. is building a $15,000 fireproof office and substation at Washington and Pine, promising 24-hour electric service within ninety days.
- A Failed Arson Attempt in Everett
A mysterious fuse and a kerosene-soaked room threatened a downtown business block.
- The Fee Stopping Progress
A citizen writes in to protest the city's building permit tax, arguing it stifles growth rather than ensuring safety.
- The Birth of Mechanic's Liens in Washington Territory
A landmark 1854 statute established the right for laborers to place liens on buildings and land to ensure they were paid for their work.
- Hidden Artesian Spring Found Under Seattle Building
Workers drilling in the basement of the Sullivan building strike a fresh water supply that flows at a consistent daily rate.
- Sixty Houses in One Season
Newport's 1908 ledger of construction: sixty residences raised or under way, a three-story hotel foundation at Washington and Second, and a lumber mill going up across the river.
- Night Fire on C Street: Tacoma's Laundry Goes Up in Flames
A predawn blaze destroys the Tacoma Steam Laundry and nearby shops, sending two women into the street in their nightclothes.
- Late-Night Blaze Threatens 'Whitechapel' Row
A saloon fire in the early hours nearly consumed a row of wooden buildings, saved only by the quick work of local firefighters and a watchful dog.
- School Board Divided Over Land Acquisition
A legal dispute erupts in a rural school district over the location of a new building, leading to a restraining order.
- Building Move Turns Dangerous for Contractor
A routine building relocation in Kennewick turns into a medical emergency when a heavy-duty cable fails, breaking a man's leg.
- Free Shacks for the Taking
A condemned row of buildings in the downtown core is offered to anyone willing to haul them away.
- The Fire Ordinance of 1892
New city laws mandate fireproof construction materials in North Yakima's central business district to protect against catastrophic loss.
- Tragedy in Tacoma: The Sudden Collapse of a New Building
A newly constructed building on Tacoma Avenue falls, leaving the community reeling and survivors in critical condition.
- Ladders to the Rescue: Spokane's Crescent Block Burns
A pre-dawn fire guts a three-story brick building, trapping lodgers until firefighters raise ladders to the windows.
- The Imperial Building's Bitter Feud
A development project for an 'Imperial building' fractures as partners accuse one another of backroom sabotage.
- The Squatters of Front Street
When a building’s rent price surged following the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the owner tried to renege on an existing lease—leading to a tense standoff and a vigilante guard force.
- A New Home for the Grand Army of the Republic
Veterans of the Civil War plan a grand new headquarters in Olympia, complete with a public hall and space for other lodges.
- Seattle’s Wholesale District Moves South
New buildings on South Second Street mark a major shift for Seattle's expanding trade economy.
- New $100,000 Commercial Building Approved for Downtown Seattle
A five-story brick and stone structure is set for the corner of Main and Second streets, intended for wholesale tenants.
- The Opera House Gets Moved for a Concrete Block
H. M. Lund will replace Newport's Opera House with a two-story reinforced-concrete hardware store, while the old theater is sold and rolled north on Washington Avenue.