City Hall's Construction Contractor Fails to Pay Up
Creditors are circling the new city building on Third Street as liens are filed against the project.
Persons who have been furnishing materials to Contractor Ilea, to be used in the construction of the new city building on Third Street and who have not received their pay therefor, have commenced filing liens on the building. The first was filed yesterday by the Seattle Lumber and Commercial Company for a sum due them of $1,086, and others will doubtless follow. The better course for the city to pursue will be to take the money due Mr. Ilea on his contract, after it has been completed and bills paid at his expense, can be turned over to him.
“The first was filed yesterday by the Seattle Lumber and Commercial Company for a sum due them of $1,086.”
The struggle of subcontractors getting paid by a general contractor on a public project is a classic Seattle civic headache that persists into the present day. This story highlights the fragility of the 1880s building boom, where growth often outpaced the liquidity of those holding the contracts.
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