A Close Call for a Pioneer Landmark
A fire in a historic Second Street frame house—once the site of a renowned beer garden—was extinguished just before it could consume the structure.
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.
The old two-story frame house at the corner of Second and Spring streets, owned by Cyrus Walker and occupied by Mrs. Henrietta Kelly, caught fire in an upper room last night about 10 o'clock from the explosion of a lamp, and but for the excellent work of Chief Hunt's men the old landmark would have burned. Mrs. Elliott, Mrs. Bingham, Miss M. M. Seesa and Miss Kelly, who has been in charge of the house while her mother is in Portland, were in the sitting room when suddenly the crackling of flames was heard overhead. Miss Kelly ran upstairs, only to be driven back by clouds of smoke and flames. Everyone in the house commenced to carry out things and in the meantime George Ward, who runs a news stand at the corner of Madison and Third streets, turned in an alarm. When the fire apparatus came thundering up before the house the flames had broken through a front window and were creeping along the edge of the eaves. Without delay the order was given to attack from the in and outside by chemical and water. So quick was the work done that before a crowd had time to gather the fire was out and the hose and scaling ladders were being taken down. The loss on the house is about $50, and on contents $75, both fully insured. The house and quarter block upon which it stands were bought in 1879 from the estate of Frank Guttenberg, who had used the place as a beer garden, by Cyrus Walker for $4,000. It is now valued at $30,000 and will soon be converted into fine business property.
“The house and quarter block... were bought in 1879 from the estate of Frank Guttenberg, who had used the place as a beer garden, by Cyrus Walker for $4,000.”
This Second and Spring location sits in the heart of modern downtown Seattle, surrounded by high-rises. The 'conversion' mentioned in 1893 reflects the city's constant cycle of clearing out pioneer-era frame structures for denser commercial development—a process that still defines Seattle's skyline.
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