The Struggle for Homeownership in 1888
A classic real estate advertisement for 'Palatine Hill' in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer appeals to the desire for independence from rent and the promise of a growing industrial neighborhood.
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.
Only $100 to $150 per lot. The best located, most desirable and convenient suburban property on the market today. It is situated within three and a half miles of the Seattle Post-Office, on the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern R.R., and within ten minutes' easy walk of Ross Station on that road. This beautiful locality is particularly suited for the location of 'homies,' as it is within easy reach of Seattle's center by rail or carriage road. With the numerous manufactories already situated there, and the various ones that have signed to locate there within the next few months, there will be openings for hundreds of machinists, carpenters, masons, and in fact all kinds of skilled and unskilled laborers. Ross Postoffice is soon to be finished, as is also a general merchandise store, and a great advantage that there is a schoolhouse on the ground for children. Collect instead of pay rents. Be your own landlord.
“Collect instead of pay rents. Be your own landlord.”
The language of 'collect instead of pay rents' and 'be your own landlord' from 1888 echoes the modern Seattle housing crisis. While the neighborhood of Ross Station—near modern-day Fremont/Ballard—transformed from a promotional suburb into a dense urban hub, the dream of affordable homeownership remains a persistent, elusive goal for Seattle residents today.
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