The Clearing of 'Whitescapel'
Prominent citizens argue that a new Great Northern depot will sanitize a notorious South Seattle slum.
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.
Several of the leading citizens of Seattle were interviewed yesterday regarding the Great Northern depot. The general opinion of all who were approached is well expressed by Mr. Edward Blewett, who said: 'There can be no question that the depot site purchased by the Great Northern between Commercial street and South Fifth street is one of the best to be found in any city of the country. The situation couldn't be better. By wiping out Whitescapel, which has been a disgrace to the city and has kept down the price of property in the south end of town more than anything else, and putting in its place depot terminals, it will be of immense benefit to the city. If Seattle is to have the reputation of a broad-gauge, enterprising city, it should not delay the Great Northern in its work of establishing terminals on Jackson street a single day.'
“By wiping out Whitescapel, which has been a disgrace to the city... it will be of immense benefit to the city.”
The area mentioned, centered near the modern-day Pioneer Square and King Street Station, was historically known as 'Whitescapel'—a derogatory slur referencing London’s Whitechapel district—implying it was a site of crime and vice. This rhetoric of 'clearing a disgrace' to boost property values is a familiar precursor to the urban renewal and displacement projects that would define Seattle's civic development for the next century.
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