The Relocation of the University of Washington
City Hall votes to deed away the original downtown campus to the state, paving the way for the University to move to its modern home.
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 City of Seattle has passed an ordinance authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to deed the property known as the University site to the State of Washington. The University, which currently sits on a ten-acre tract donated by Arthur A. Denny and others, is slated to be moved to a new site within six miles of the current location. The state is required to secure at least one hundred acres for the new campus and proceed with the construction of brick or stone buildings. The deed will be delivered once the site is secured and construction has officially commenced. The original site, once vacated, will be repurposed for high school or college use as per the terms of the original land grant.
“The site for a university, selected by the state in accordance with the provisions of the preceding sections, shall be held and actually used for university purposes forever.”
This ordinance effectively marks the end of the University of Washington's time in downtown Seattle (the site of the current Fairmont Olympic Hotel). The tension between 'downtown' and 'campus' is a historic one in Seattle, reflecting how the city prioritizes its civic land usage.
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