The Industrial Ambitions of Pioneer Square
How local craftsmen and entrepreneurs began transforming the muddy, frontier-era blocks of Seattle into a professional urban district.
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.
The Freudenthal brothers have made a substantial improvement to the appearance of their premises on Commercial Street. Their new building would compare favorably with any of the rental structures we have seen in New York or New Hampshire. Mr. Bagly, the agent for the contractor, determined that what was worth doing was worth doing well and engaged the Carman brothers for the team of masons. The structure is built principally of cedar, which will stand for years. The work is much better than the typical 'half-done' jobs of a year or two that would be tumbling over the banks. At one point, the firm is 15 feet high; it is a true testament to the skill of the builders. The lower floor is finished off and divided into retail spaces. It has been the custom in this city, when fitting up a business house, to wait for everything, but we are glad to see our local men vie with those of other localities in this matter. The whole building has been completed at a cost of $1,600, exclusive of the price of the lot. In making this venture, the Freudenthal brothers have shown commendable business enterprise.
“What was worth doing was worth doing well.”
In 1876, Seattle was still grappling with the physical instability of its geography—'muddy streets' were a common refrain. The Freudenthal brothers' decision to invest in a 'substantial' structure reflects a pivotal shift in the city's history, as local merchants moved away from ephemeral, rough-hewn shacks toward the permanent architecture that would eventually define Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square.
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