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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 7 |
| 1858 | 3 |
| 1859 | 6 |
| 1860 | 5 |
| 1861 | 11 |
| 1862 | 6 |
| 1863 | 4 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1865 | 2 |
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1872 | 17 |
| 1876 | 150 |
| 1877 | 135 |
| 1878 | 70 |
| 1879 | 9 |
| 1880 | 24 |
| 1882 | 33 |
| 1883 | 170 |
| 1884 | 77 |
| 1885 | 110 |
| 1886 | 59 |
| 1887 | 63 |
| 1888 | 93 |
| 1889 | 319 |
| 1890 | 55 |
| 1891 | 194 |
| 1892 | 349 |
| 1893 | 314 |
| 1894 | 228 |
| 1895 | 300 |
| 1897 | 4 |
| 1898 | 26 |
| 1899 | 54 |
| 1900 | 6 |
| 1902 | 9 |
| 1903 | 143 |
| 1904 | 121 |
| 1905 | 23 |
| 1907 | 7 |
| 1908 | 69 |
| 1909 | 207 |
| 1910 | 33 |
| 1911 | 11 |
| 1912 | 7 |
| 1914 | 22 |
| 1915 | 40 |
| 1916 | 66 |
| 1917 | 49 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1923 | 23 |
| 1924 | 18 |
| 1925 | 7 |
| 1928 | 2 |
| 1929 | 1 |
3,766 stories matching build
- 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.
- The Fire Safety Debate of 1904
Tacoma building owners argue that 'fireproof' construction renders fire escapes redundant, but city officials stand their ground.
- City Overhauls Building Code
A special committee proposes sweeping changes to Tacoma's building ordinance to modernize oversight and safety standards.
- The City Stops the Build: Seattle's 1889 Fight Over 'Fireproof' Tent-Frames
When D.K. Baxter tried to erect three structures made of pipe frames and canvas on Yesler Avenue, the city inspector shut him down, triggering a tense legal stand-off over what constitutes a safe building.
- Fire Sweeps Through Opium Den and Saloon District
A negligent stove in a Washington Street opium den sparks a conflagration that consumes seven buildings in the heart of Seattle.
- The Shanty That Refused to Die
A year after the grand Yeager Building rose on Front Street, a flimsy wooden shack still blocks the sidewalk—proof that Seattle’s building codes are mere suggestions.
- City Condemns Waterfront 'Rookeries'
Building inspectors flag unsafe conditions on Pacific Avenue, marking the latest demolition in a series of condemned buildings.
- 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.
- Seattle's Building Boom Hits the Streets
High rents and a rapidly growing population drive a citywide rush to build one-story retail stores.
- The Battle for Fire Safety on Pacific Avenue
Tacoma’s People's Store faces legal action for refusing to install mandatory fire escapes.
- Consolidating City Hall
Kennewick officials eye the Eakin building to house the city clerk, police, and fire station under one roof.
- Nightmare at the Notion Store
A shopkeeper narrowly escapes his building as a pre-dawn blaze tears through a landmark business in Walla Walla.
- 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.
- An 1854 Storehouse, a Saloon, and a Building on Wheels: Seattle’s Old Blocks Give Way
As Schwabacher Bros. cleared Mill Street for a new brick block, an 1854 storehouse with a saloon past was torn down and another old building was rolled toward the waterfront.
- The Crumbling Tenement on Second and Main
A concerned citizen demands the city inspect a dangerous building teeming with residents and home to a rowdy saloon.
- Suspicious Blaze Consumes South Bend Building
A vacant commercial building in South Bend, Washington, burns to the ground under circumstances police suspect were intentional.
- Living on Borrowed Time in Lower Seattle
A scathing editorial decries the 'man-traps' of the waterfront, where buildings are propped up on flimsy planks to accommodate rising street grades.
- Legal Snag Blocks State Funding for Historical Building
State funds for a new historical building are at risk because the city's park board lacks the legal authority to deed park land to the state.
- Tacoma’s Theater Safety Crisis
Following the horrific Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago, local inspectors scramble to identify hazards in Tacoma’s aging entertainment venues.
- Rising from the Ashes in Centralia
Despite losing his building in a recent fire, Richard T. Dabney is already planning a larger, more modern brick block.
- The Stencil Building's Lucky Streak
For the third time in its history, a furnace mishap threatens to destroy the Stencil building at Main and Third.
- The Price of Rebuilding Seattle After the Great Fire
As the city rises from the ashes of the 1889 Great Fire, editors urge property owners to resist the temptation of 'fire traps' and prioritize permanent, safe construction over quick profits.
- A Mill Town Gets a Recreation Hall—and a Makeover
The Consolidated Lumber Co. builds a reading room and ball alleys to keep its married workers—and remakes a shack town along the Great Northern.
- The Great Seattle Boom: $2 Million in Brick and Mortar
Architects and owners promise a wave of substantial construction that will transform Second Street into the city's new business heart, leaving Front Street behind.
- Fire Breaks Out in Whitechapel District
A fire in a building occupied by Japanese women in Seattle's Whitechapel district causes a panic, but is quickly extinguished.