Seattle's Great Fire Forced a Church Building Boom
Following the devastating fire, Seattle's religious congregations are rushing to rebuild their houses of worship in stone and brick.
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Following the fire, the city's congregations have been hard at work. The Trinity Church, whose edifice at the corner of Third and Jefferson streets was destroyed by fire, selected the southeast corner of Eighth and Cherry streets to build their new home. Its dimensions are to be 70 by 100 feet. The brick foundation alone will cost $4,000. This includes the basement, which will be temporarily used for services before the entire church is completed. Work is to begin immediately, and it is to be ready within two months. The Plymouth Congregational Society are also building a new church edifice in a new, larger location, as the property at Second Street will be sold. The new Unitarian Church on Seventh Street, between Main and Pike, is being rapidly pushed to completion by H. M. Bied, contractor. Other new structures include St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and a new brick church at the corner of Sixth and University streets.
“The entire building is to be completed within ninety days.”
The Great Seattle Fire of 1889 razed the city's commercial district, forcing a wholesale reconstruction. Today, these church sites are iconic fixtures in First Hill and downtown, standing as permanent remnants of the city's rapid shift from wood-frame frontier town to a brick-and-mortar metropolis.
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