The University of Washington Finds a Permanent Home
Legislature authorizes the construction of a new campus on the shores of Lake Union, marking a major turning point for the state's educational future.
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The bill introduced by Mr. Mesny and passed by the legislature, entitled 'An act providing for the location, construction and maintenance of the University of Washington,' is one of the most important measures of the session. It authorizes the governor to buy fractional section 16, in township 25 north of range 4 east of the Willamette meridian, which limit is located on the shores of Lake Union. Upon this limit of land will be erected and forever maintained the University of Washington. The board of regents of the university are authorized to erect a building suitable for the needs of the university for the ensuing ten years. They are also authorized to sell the ten acres in Seattle known as the university grounds and to apply the proceeds to the needs of the new university. The sum of $150,000 is appropriated for the expense of making the sale of the university grounds and of erecting the first building authorized by the bill.
“It should and will be the boast of the state of Washington that its educational system is second to none among the new states of the great West.”
This act moved the university from downtown Seattle to its current sprawling site near Lake Washington, a decision that transformed the institution's reach and the character of the city's north end. It serves as a reminder of how early Washington leaders leveraged land sales to fuel a massive public investment in education.
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