The Original Seattle Real Estate Hustle
In 1876, a pioneer developer lured buyers with the promise of 'a lot for nothing,' provided they were willing to build their own future on his terms.
An advertisement headed A LOT FOR NOTHING! states that every person who actually buys a lot and erects a dwelling on it will receive a clear deed for two lots. The lots are priced at $50 each, and the notice is signed H. T. Denny.
Other property notices on the page advertise over 200 acres on Lake Union, nearly half of it good garden soil, plus farming land near the Duwamish River, from A. Mackintosh. A separate farm offer lists 159 1/2 acres with 25 acres of good pasturage, one span of horses, one wagon, 11 head of cattle, and 75 hogs; another describes a 480-acre tract on Coal Creek near the Seattle Coal Mines, with 300 acres of good bottom land, buildings, orchard, and spring water, called the best bottom land ranch in King County.
A notice also offers a farm for sale at a bargain, and another advertises a marble-top billiard table for sale cheap for cash at the Port Madison Hotel.
“Any person who faithfully and truly buys a lot and erects a dwelling thereon will receive a clear deed for two lots.”
David T. Denny’s 1876 promotion—a precursor to modern developer incentives—highlights how long Seattle's growth has been fueled by speculative real estate land-grabs. While the price of a lot has shifted from $50 to millions, the tension between land ownership, development, and civic permanence remains a core feature of the Seattle experience.
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