The Rising Market: New Construction on Seneca Street
A two-story residence takes shape as Seattle’s growth continues to push the city outward in 1877.
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 steamer Yakima arrived at Craig & Marshall's wharf yesterday morning with a load of lumber from Port Gamble—the first part of a lot to be used in the construction of a large two-story dwelling house on Seneca Street for Mr. R. J. Jackson. The Yakima will bring in the balance of the lot today and work on the new building will commence immediately. It is to be 50x60 feet, and two stories high.
“The Yakima will bring in the balance of the lot today and work on the new building will commence immediately.”
While a single 50x60 foot house was a notable headline item in the 1877 Seattle Daily Tribune, it reflects the perennial nature of Seattle’s real estate boom. The reliance on Port Gamble lumber highlights how the region's early economy was built on resource extraction to feed the constant demand for housing—a dynamic that echoes in today's intense debates over construction, density, and material sourcing.
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