The Dream of Ownership in 1886 Seattle
A real estate advertisement from 1886 captures the enduring promise—and pressure—of the Seattle housing market.
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.
Stop paying rent and own your own home. For information or stock, call on or address W. C. Franklin Co., Grand Western Managers, Newlin Block, Columbia Street, Seattle, W. T. The American Building and Loan Investment Society of Chicago, Ill., are offering better inducements to both investors and borrowers than any other building and loan association. Their rate of interest is but 5 per cent per annum, and borrowers can get more money on their property from the above than others will give.
“Stop paying rent and own your own home.”
More than a century later, the tension between renting and the dream of homeownership remains a defining feature of Seattle’s civic identity. The language of 'Stop Paying Rent' mirrors the marketing tactics used by today's developers to court residents in a high-cost, high-growth urban center.
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