The Dawn of the Suburban Developer in Seattle
Two young businessmen announce a new model for homeownership, pledging to clear and grade land for 'elegant homes' for the city's growing population.
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.
Messrs. Charles H. and George H. Steinman, who are well known as leaders in the ranks of Seattle’s many enterprising citizens, announce this morning the sale of the Jackson and Rainier street additions, under a plan which is entirely new and creditable to its authors. These gentlemen have decided to construct a large number of attractive residences upon this land; every purchaser of a lot will be entitled to a chance to secure for himself an elegant home without extra effort. Mr. H. Steinman, the architect, is already preparing the designs for the houses, and construction will be begun immediately. A large force of men is now at work clearing the land and improving it for its many future owners.
“Every purchaser of a lot will be entitled to a chance to secure for himself an elegant home without extra effort.”
In 1888, Seattle was just beginning the transition from a compact port town to a sprawling metropolis. The 'enterprising' effort to package land sales with architectural design and mass-grading echoes the development booms that have redefined Seattle neighborhoods for over a century, highlighting the city's enduring obsession with growth and the commodification of domestic space.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.