The Birth of a Neighborhood on Queen Anne Hill
A 1891 promotional advertisement offers a glimpse into the rapid expansion of Seattle, as land developers pushed into the forests above Lake Union.
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.
This addition comprises the finest residence property now offered in the city. Running from the west bank of Lake Union along the city boundary to that beautiful residence portion of our city known as Queen Anne Hill. This new subdivision occupies a fine position. Its elevation commanding a magnificent view of Lakes Union and Washington, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and the Cascade Range, also the city and the beautiful suburbs of Ballard and Fremont. It is but a fifteen-minute ride by the Fremont Electric Street Car Line, which passes this property, to the post office. The ground has been subdivided into building lots and will be sold in small tracts at as low a price as surrounding property can be bought by the acre. Lots are all large and cleared even with the surface of the ground.
“Secure a home in this beautiful addition while you can get in on the ground floor at speculative prices.”
In 1891, developers like Frank T. Hunter were actively selling the 'untouched' beauty of Queen Anne to commuters via the new electric streetcar lines. Today, that same area is one of Seattle's most dense and expensive neighborhoods, illustrating the city's long-standing history of turning former forest and farmland into premium, transit-oriented real estate.
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