The Mason Who Rebuilt Seattle
Otto Ranke, the master mason who constructed many of the city's most prominent buildings and steered the post-fire reconstruction, has died at 49.
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 news of the death of Otto Ranke was received with general regret, for few men had so many devoted friends. Born in Rostock, Germany, he learned the trade of mason and bricklayer before coming to America. He settled in Seattle eleven years ago and became essential to the city's growth. After the Great Fire, Ranke took a leading part in rebuilding, including the Schwabacher Bros. & Co. store and the Pioneer block. His reputation for integrity was such that a firm once handed him $80,000 to expend without ever asking for a voucher. A member of the Turnverein and active in charitable German-born societies, he steadfastly resisted calls to enter politics, preferring to leave his mark in stone and brick.
“Of Mr. Ranke it can be said literally that his word was his bond.”
Otto Ranke was an architect of the physical fabric of Pioneer Square and downtown Seattle, representing the immigrant labor class that literally built the city from the ashes of 1889. His story highlights the vanished culture of civic-minded craftsmanship that once defined Seattle's identity.
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