The Great Northern Moves to Remake the Tide Flats
A legal victory paves the way for a massive industrial expansion on Seattle's waterfront, promising a surge in local jobs and terminal capacity.
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The verdict of the jury in the Great Northern condemnation suit will no doubt result in a large amount of work being begun at once in the city. The Great Northern owns about 150 acres on the tide flats, where its freight warehouses, round houses, supply warehouses and other terminal buildings will be erected. Judge Thomas Burke, attorney for the Great Northern, stated that once the judgment is signed, the company will begin work on the terminal grounds, putting pile drivers to work immediately to create a foundation for tracks and freight depots. Mr. Hill, the company leader, expressed satisfaction that the obstructions to his improvements have been overcome and that he can now proceed to his freight depots and terminal grounds.
“Just as soon as the judgment is signed... five pile drivers will be set to work at once making a foundation for our tracks, freight depot, etc.”
This article highlights the brutal efficiency of industrial growth in the 1890s, when private railroad interests could condemn land to reshape the city's geography. It serves as a precursor to the century of massive infrastructure projects—from the Duwamish Waterway regrades to the expansion of industrial zones—that still define the tensions between private development and civic land use in modern Seattle.
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