Seattle's Grand New Courthouse Plans Unveiled
Architect Isaac Palmer presents a bold, brick-and-mortar vision for the corner of Third and Jefferson, signaling the city's aspirations for civic permanence.
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.
Some time ago Mr. Isaac Palmer, the architect, was engaged by the County Commissioners to draw up the plans and specifications for a new court house, to be erected of burned brick on the county lot at the corner of Third and Jefferson streets. The plan presented to that body features a structure three stories high, with a hip roof presenting four gables with handsome ornamental facings. A cupola forty feet high, from the base to the top of the spire, will occupy the center of the roof. The building will front on Third street, with three double doors and an ornamental portico supported by Corinthian columns. The first story will have a grand hall 12 feet wide. The building is designed to be the administrative heart of the county, featuring a large vault for the treasurer and a spacious courtroom. If carried into execution in accordance with the ideas of the architect, it will give us a court house that will be a credit to our city.
“If carried into execution in accordance with the ideas of the architect, it will give us a court house that will be a credit to our city.”
The transition from wooden frontier buildings to 'permanent' masonry like this proposed 1876 courthouse mirrors the ongoing, often contentious, efforts to modernize Seattle's civic infrastructure to match its rapid growth.
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