The Iron Shed Rebellion
After the Great Seattle Fire, one man defies new building codes by erecting corrugated iron structures in the fire-restricted zone, triggering a city-wide showdown over safety and property rights.
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.
P.K. Baxter yesterday afternoon commenced the construction of three corrugated iron buildings on the south side of Yesler Avenue, one lot from the corner of Sixth Street. Mr. Baxter previously petitioned the council for permission to erect the buildings, but the petition was rejected. He then applied to the building inspector for a permit, which was also refused. Failing to get the necessary authority, he commenced building anyway. Chairman Durie, of the council committee on fire and water, arrived just as workmen were raising the frame for the structure. He directed Chief Mitchell and Captain Kinley to stop the work. Mr. Baxter told them the city had no right to interfere with his building, contending the structures are non-combustible because they are made entirely of iron. Such buildings, however, are strictly prohibited by the fire limit ordinance. The city has signaled that if Mr. Baxter attempts to go on with the building, they will tear it down.
“Imprisonment has no terrors for the average 'hobo,' but work has.”
Post-fire 1889 Seattle was defined by the desperate need to rebuild quickly versus the urgent need for fire safety—a tension that mirrors today’s conflicts over balancing urban development mandates with zoning, historic preservation, and safety requirements in a rapidly densifying city.
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