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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1889 | 8 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1923 | 1 |
33 stories matching fireproof
- The Fire Safety Debate of 1904
Tacoma building owners argue that 'fireproof' construction renders fire escapes redundant, but city officials stand their ground.
- The Fire Ordinance of 1892
New city laws mandate fireproof construction materials in North Yakima's central business district to protect against catastrophic loss.
- 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 Struggle for Dignity at the County Farm
King County breaks ground on a modern, fireproof hospital to replace a crowded, dangerous almshouse described as a 'tinder box'.
- The Power Company Buys Up Washington Avenue
The Northern Idaho Montana Power Co. assembles frontage at Pine, First and Washington, plans a fireproof substation, and pulls its lines off the main street.
- Will Aberdeen Get a Grand Hotel or Just More Offices?
Prominent developers W. P. Book and Samuel Benn are ready to construct a massive, fireproof building on Heron Street, but the ultimate purpose of the structure remains a local question.
- 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 Power Station That Bet on Newport’s Future
A Chicago engineer brings plans for a fireproof power station at Washington and Pine—and a 30-mile line meant to electrify Newport’s future.
- The Fight to Fireproof Downtown
A Seattle neighborhood, built entirely of wood, fears a catastrophic blaze and petitions the city for a stone mandate.
- 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.
- Walla Walla's Industrial Resilience
After a devastating fire, the Gilbert Hunt Company rebuilds its threshing machine factory with modern fireproof materials.
- A High School for the Tourist Hotel
Tacoma school officials and activists weigh a bold plan to convert a prominent local hotel into a much-needed, fireproof high school.
- The City Council’s Fireproofing Farce: How Seattle’s ‘Renovations’ Are Destroying Property Values
An editorial scolds the local government for allowing cheap, temporary repairs to old buildings within fire limits, arguing that these 'shells' are disfiguring the business district and raising insurance rates for everyone.
- Fireproofing the Tacoma Theater
Mayor Campbell mandates safety overhauls to ensure audience egress and stage safety at one of the city's premier theaters.
- The Great Seattle Rebuild: Rethinking Fire Safety After the Ashes
In the wake of the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, experts and local leaders scramble to replace wooden tinderboxes with new, fireproof standards and modern building codes.
- Turning Sawdust into Stone
An innovative German industrial method promises to transform Aberdeen's abundant sawmill waste into fireproof, durable building bricks.
- 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.
- The Price of Public Safety
City council debates delaying fire limits due to high brick costs.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Growing Pains in the Queen City: Seattle’s 1889 School Crisis
As the population exploded, the city’s schools were so overwhelmed that children were squeezed into attics, basements, and makeshift classrooms—a familiar struggle for a booming town.
- Tacoma’s Theaters Under Fire Safety Review
Building inspectors find local stages lacking modern fire protections, prompting calls for new safety ordinances.
- A Treasure of Extinct Art
A massive collection of rare Indigenous basketry, gathered over a decade, is donated to the State College of Washington museum.
- A Massive New Landmark for Seattle
Construction begins on a state-of-the-art Catholic hospital, featuring the city’s first steam elevator and a futuristic ventilation system to serve the rapidly growing region.
Also about this, in other words
- The Great Seattle Fire of 1889: Surviving the Flames
While the city turned to ash, local business owners turned to their safes to see what remained of their livelihood.
- The Struggle for a Fire-Proof Seattle
In 1876, a local editor warns that Seattle’s reliance on wood-frame architecture is a dangerous gamble for a growing city.
- An Arson Plot Unearthed in a Rented Shack
A struggling family, searching for kindling in their attic, discovers a lethal trap set to torch their home.
- A Fire, a Locked Door, and a Daring Escape
A local reverend barely survived the blaze that destroyed his home in Black Diamond by shattering a window to escape the flames.
- Olympia's Close Call with Fire
A dangerous blaze at the Secretary of the Territory's office sparks calls for safer building practices.
- A Frontier Library Lost to Flame
When fire gutted the residence of a prominent territorial family, a community rallied to replace the lost comforts of a home built through years of industry.
- The Tinderbox City: How Unprotected Seattle Lived in Fear of Fire
While the downtown core grew rapidly, many residential districts remained dangerously isolated from fire protection, leaving property owners in a literal state of vulnerability.