The Real Estate Boom at Ronton Addition
Investors and business leaders scramble to buy into Seattle's rapid expansion.
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.
Following is a partial list of purchasers today for lots in Ronton addition: L. H. Griffith, W. T. Beck, T. M. Anderson, J. V. O. V. R. Thomas, K. F. V. M. Littell, R. K. B. and M. K. O'Brien. Ronton addition is now on the market. Those who secured land in Seattle a few years ago can readily appreciate the importance of getting in on the ground floor. For the information of intending purchasers we print the list of bona fide purchasers in Ronton addition, including the Chief Justice of Washington Territory, the proprietor of the Post-Intelligencer, and various bankers and merchants. If you do not find what they want in this list, they can be suited by calling at our office. We have several choice lots of Ronton and for the inside lot of $400 and the corner of $600 on easy terms. In the very heart of the business center, $12,000 for site on Front Street, and other prime real estate available.
“Those who secured land in Seattle a few years ago can readily appreciate the importance of getting in on the ground floor.”
This 1889 advertisement highlights the feverish land speculation that defined late-19th-century Seattle. Much like today’s high-stakes real estate market, Ronton Addition was pitched to investors as an urgent 'ground floor' opportunity, showing how the city’s housing affordability has been shaped by over a century of aggressive speculation and rapid development cycles.
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