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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 11 |
| 1889 | 64 |
| 1891 | 15 |
| 1892 | 24 |
| 1893 | 36 |
| 1894 | 38 |
| 1895 | 47 |
235 stories matching brick
- Two Million Bricks and a Hundred Jobs for the Cascade Gateway
The Union Brick Works of Tacoma wins the Northern Pacific's contract to line the Stampede Tunnel in fire-baked brick — a regional infrastructure job that will keep a hundred men working through the summer.
- The Great Seattle Brick Shortage of 1889
As Seattle rebuilt from the ashes of the Great Fire, a local brick supplier defended himself against accusations of price gouging, pinning the city's housing crunch on a simple lack of supply.
- Brick by Brick: Seattle Paves Pike Street
Four contractors bid to lay a brick surface from Front to Seventh, with the contract to be let this morning and the work rushed through before the rains — while labor can still be had cheap.
- Seattle’s Housing Crisis: Brick by Brick, Room by Room
As the city races to build new brick structures on Second and Smith Streets, officials warn that even these new constructions won't be enough to stop rents from skyrocketing.
- The Swindler with the Golden Brick
A local confidence man allegedly fleeced hotels and saloons by leaving behind fake gold bricks as temporary collateral.
- The Great Seattle Brick Heist
A local contractor chartered a tugboat to chase down a steamboat captain who allegedly stole a scow full of brick over a payment dispute.
- Seattle's Burnt District Rebuilds in Brick After 1889 Fire
Following the Great Seattle Fire, the city's burnt district transforms as brick blocks replace wooden ruins and the city plans for a modern infrastructure.
- The Bosses' Sewer Scheme
When an investigation into a brick-buying scandal threatened city officials, they turned to the very workers they employed to save their reputations.
- The Gold Brick Swindle
A small-town banker loses his life savings to a sophisticated confidence scheme involving a fake Indian and a worthless brick.
- The Clay Under Seattle Built a Million-Dollar Industry
King County clay works turned local deposits into firebrick, paving brick, sewer pipe and architectural terra cotta—winning federal tests and employing hundreds of men.
- 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.
- Rising from the Embers: Ellensburg's Rapid Rebirth
After a devastating fire consumed the heart of the city in July 1889, the community transformed from a charred wasteland into a brick-fronted city in just two months.
- The Brick Revolution: Why Seattle’s Wooden Streets Are a Financial Trap
An editorial in the Seattle Intelligencer argues that the city's reliance on timber construction is holding back its prosperity, urging property owners to invest in fireproof brick buildings to secure higher rents and double their income.
- Taxpayers Overcharged for Sewer Bricks
City Committee member James F. McElroy claims the city is paying nearly double for sewer bricks compared to private market rates.
- The Sewer Scandal: Seattle Engineer Fired for Refusing Corrupt Bricks
A political machine ousts City Engineer R.H. Thomson to bypass safety standards, sparking fears of city infrastructure collapse.
- The Dream of Kirkland as the 'Pittsburg of the Pacific'
Capitalists promise that an industrial boom in iron production will transform the landscape of the Eastside.
- 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.
- Seattle’s Streets Were Still Mostly Wood—Until the Brick Came
With 750 miles platted and only 106 improved, city engineers pushed permanent pavement on Union Street and dreamed of brick from local clay.
- The Great Seattle Fire: A City in Ruins, A Spirit Rebuilding
Following the devastating fire of 1889, Seattle's business leaders, bankers, and citizens mobilize to enforce strict brick-and-stone building codes while navigating the logistics of temporary survival.
- The Great Seattle Fire: Building a City from Ash and Embers
In the immediate aftermath of the devastating 1889 fire that leveled the city’s business district, Seattle residents and property owners rush to clear the smoldering ruins and plan a more substantial, brick-built future.
- The Great Reconstruction
A reporter recounts the feverish pace of laborers, bricklayers, and carpenters rebuilding Seattle following a massive fire.
- The Governor’s Brick Fortress: W.C. Squire Plans to Reshape Seattle’s Corner
As the territory transitions to statehood, Governor Squire announces plans for a massive new brick block on South Second and Main, signaling his permanent shift from territorial politics to local real estate development.
- The Gold Brick Swindler Faces Trial
A notorious 'gold brick' confidence man is headed to the superior court after a dramatic legal clash in the courtroom.
- The Mysterious Burning of the Scow Bleecker
A steam scow used to haul bricks from Fog Island is destroyed by fire, fueling local rumors of arson.
- 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.
Also about this, in other words
- The Great Tacoma Brick Boom: A City Building Itself Into the Future
As ten new brick structures rise on Water Street and real estate auctions fetch record prices, Tacoma’s leaders are betting big on a booming future—despite labor shortages and material scarcity.
- Seattle's First Real Street Paving
A specimen half-block is laid on Commercial Street as a test to end the era of plank roads and mud.
- The Brick Crisis: Why Seattle’s Boom Is Stalling Because of Empty Lots
An editorial warns that the city's rapid growth is being choked by a lack of commercial infrastructure, urging property owners to build or lease for development before capital flees to rival towns.
- The Brick Block Mandate: Why Your Empty Lot is Killing Seattle's Economy
An editorial argues that refusing to build substantial structures on city land is a civic failure, urging property owners to construct brick buildings to retain tradesmen and attract new industry.