The Real Estate Dream of Cicero Heights
Promoters promised a 'Coney Island' of the Pacific Northwest, selling a vision of leisure, excursion boats, and suburban paradise to early Seattle speculators.
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 Garden Spot of Puget Sound—The Coney Island of the West. The home of the merchants, manufacturers, professional and business men of Seattle. The main pleasure resort of the entire Sound: Cicero Heights. Adjoining and overlooking the entire lake and surrounding country is Calkins' Grove, the most beautiful spot on the lake, which is being thoroughly cleared. Walks are being laid out; a shaded path the entire length of the island; dancing pavilions, boat houses, rustic seats, tables, swings, and numerous other amusements are now being constructed for the benefit of the pleasure-seeking public. We have advised everybody to look over the grounds at Seattle, and hear from every side the most flattering and gratifying verdicts from people who have gone there. All are desirous of purchasing a home, and have our assurance that when this property is put on the market, everybody will have a fair and equal opportunity to buy at the most reasonable and liberal terms. We propose to devote our entire time and efforts to the improvement of this property, and shall spare no money to make it all we claim. We shall make excursion trips commencing Sunday, March 17, leaving the Cable Company's wharves at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. for Cicero Heights and Calkins' Grove. Round trip only 10 cents.
“All are desirous of purchasing a home, and have our assurance that when this property is put on the market, everybody will have a fair and equal opportunity to buy.”
In 1889, developers sold the dream of a 'pleasure resort' and 'suburban home' on a plot of land to inflate prices before building real infrastructure. Today, this relentless commodification of land remains the engine of Seattle's housing market, where the promise of a 'garden spot' often obscures the reality of density and affordability struggles.
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