An Affordable Dream: A 60x121 Foot Seattle Homestead
In 1877, a lot on Second Street—now the heart of Seattle's high-density urban core—was listed for sale as a private residential homestead.
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 page lists a house and a lot measuring 60 by 121 feet, located on Second Street between Seneca and University, as for sale. Applications are directed to R. J. Moore in Seattle, with the notice dated February 2, 1877.
A separate notice announces the annual meeting of the Seattle Homestead Association at the company office in Seattle on Wednesday, the 21st instant, for the election of officers for the ensuing year. John M. Blanchard is identified as secretary, and the notice is dated February 10, 1877.
“One House and ONE LOT 60X121 FEET, LOCATED ON Second Street, between Seneca and University.”
This 1877 listing for a residential lot between Seneca and University captures a Seattle that has vanished; today, that specific area is anchored by the skyscrapers and high-rise apartments of the Central Business District. The ad serves as a jarring reminder of how the city’s residential footprint has been completely displaced by intensive commercial and high-density development.
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