The Battle for the Post Office: Who Owns Seattle's Future?
As federal inspectors hunt for a site for a new U.S. Post Office, local property owners are scrambling to offer their buildings—revealing the intense competition for civic infrastructure and the high value of downtown real estate.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
LOOKING FOR A P. O. SITE
Chief Inspector Geo. D. Lynn and Assistant Inspector Clement, of the post office department, are busy examining and considering sites for the proposed new office. Although bids will be received until the 10th inst., quite a number have already been submitted. They extend over an area from Cherry street to Union street, and from the waterfront to Fifth avenue.
Three of these sites are being closely considered. It is understood that Herman Chapin, owner of the present post office buildings, has made a proposition, offering to build another story on the present structure and arrange the interior to conform to the required specifications.
A somewhat similar offer has been made by the owners of the property in which the Choron Music Hall is now located. They propose to add a second story to the building, which will constitute the main floor of the post office, and arrange the basement for the handling and distribution of the mail.
The third tender submitted is for the erection of a building on the lot located at the southwest corner of Second avenue and Madison street.
This 1906 scramble for federal infrastructure mirrors modern debates over where to place courthouses, transit hubs, or affordable housing. The competition between existing property owners (like Herman Chapin) and developers to secure government contracts highlights how civic planning often drives real estate speculation—a dynamic that remains central to Seattle's development today.
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