Clearing the Ground for the University of Washington
Regents approve site clearing and launch a work-relief program to aid the city’s unemployed during the winter.
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The board of regents of the state university yesterday afternoon ordered the clearing of the site for the main building and grounds and took further steps in regard to the preparation of plans. The executive committee reported that it had authorized Dr. Mitten to begin clearing the site at an expense not to exceed $400, and Dr. Mitten reported that he had put fifteen men at this work. Only the ground to be occupied by the buildings and that immediately surrounding it is to be cleared at present. The wages paid are $1.50 a day, and work is given to those able-bodied men who are most needy. Wages are paid in cash weekly, and it is probable that a new gang will be hired every week, so that the opportunity to earn some money may be divided among as many unemployed men as possible.
“The wages paid are $1.50 a day, and work is given to those able-bodied men who are most needy.”
In the winter of 1893, the University of Washington turned its construction site into a makeshift welfare project to address the depression-era unemployment crisis. Today, the university faces a different kind of site-related crisis: the immense pressure to provide affordable housing for students and staff on its historic and expanding campus.
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