The Hill Tract Hustle: Seattle's 1889 Debate Over Where to Build
As Seattle rapidly expanded, city leaders debated the ethics of land speculation and public interest, eyeing the 'Hill tract' as the new home for county government.
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.
While the county commission looks to build the new county buildings, it would be difficult to find any considerable proportion of the available fund in the treasury at the time for the purchase of land. If any considerable share of it should be spent for the purchase of land, there will not be left enough to construct the buildings. W. C. Hill has offered to sell the county as much land as may be deemed necessary, if the commissioners will place the proposed buildings on what is known as the 'Hill tract' in the neighborhood of Jefferson Street. While this location is not the best that could be named, it is easily reachable by cable road, sightly and wholesome in all respects, and much superior to the county property on the Big Hill. Mr. Hill's proposition is made upon terms which will give all the space which may be required, affording an opportunity for space that would otherwise have to be paid for. Mr. Hill, though long a property owner here, has just come among us to make his permanent home, a fact which promises to be of great advantage to Seattle.
“It is to be feared that the owners of desirable sites are not disposed to be moderate or to make even a small sacrifice to the public good.”
The 1889 debate over leveraging land deals to build public infrastructure echoes Seattle's ongoing struggle with density, transit-oriented development, and the high cost of public land acquisition in a booming economy.
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