The Streetcar Boom: Seattle's 1890 Expansion to Green Lake
A classic real estate play unfolds as the Electric Railway Company breaks ground, promising to bridge the distance between downtown and the 'famous' green fields of the north.
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.
The Electric Railway Co. is actually at work with a large force of men extending its present line toward Green Lake, taking in with one fell swoop the famous Denny-Hoyt and Lake Union additions and other choice property, of which we are the sole and exclusive agents. Owing to this fact, a great demand has been made upon us for lots in the above additions. We have decided to sell at the old prices for the present, but in a short time they will be increased. By investing now you can double your money in a short time. We can sell you by the acre, block or lot on easy terms. Call and see us. — L. H. Griffith Co., 1212 Second Street.
“By investing now you can double your money in a short time.”
This advertisement from 1890 captures the exact moment transit-oriented development became the engine of Seattle’s expansion. Just as the extension of streetcar lines once dictated where neighborhoods would bloom, current debates over light rail extensions and zoning show that the battle over 'location, location, location' remains the defining feature of Seattle’s urban growth.
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