1889 Seattle Ad Pitches Lots by the Cable Line
Before the city sprawled into the suburbs, developers sold the dream of West Seattle and Queen Anne as idyllic, 'sightly' investments.
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.
We have the latest lots on the market. The prices are steadily rising from $75 to $350. The terms are easy and within reach of all. We offer two blocks from the Jackson street cable road, level and within a few days of the cable line on Jackson and Mill streets being doubled. A choice investment. We also have some of the most choice lots in West Seattle, Occident Heights. The location is one of the most sightly and convenient additions, five blocks south of the Jackson street cable line. Rapidly populated, churches and schools are close at hand. Our stock for the spring and summer trade will surpass anything ever shown in Seattle. We have just received our first installment of imported dress fabrics among which can be seen the very latest novelties in fancy dress goods.
“It is simply unique. On one side of you the majestic Rainier points his hoary crest into the very heavens.”
In 1889, Seattle was in the throes of a frenzied land boom, selling 'sightly' hillside views to eager transplants. Today’s housing discourse echoes these same themes—the promise of transit-oriented development and the constant, rapid churn of property values shaping the city's character.
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