The Seattle Housing Crunch of 1882
When an influx of new residents left travelers sleeping in the streets, local leaders looked to the 'building association' model to solve the shortage.
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.
As an illustration of the scarcity of dwelling houses in Seattle, we will cite an instance that occurred yesterday. A gentleman received a dispatch from San Francisco informing him that a friend of his would sail from there and requesting him to secure a house of from three to five rooms. Wishing to comply, he searched the entire town over and so far has not succeeded in finding one empty house. Should there happen to be one, the owner will find a tenant by applying at the office. This would seem to be the strongest kind of an argument in favor of the system which was once so popular in San Francisco and which did more to build up that city than any other cause. We refer to building associations. Let this subject receive immediate and earnest consideration by those who no doubt have the best interests of the city at heart. When we say 'those' we mean men of money and public enterprise. It will pay and at the same time build up a city that need fear no competition on the Sound.
“We desire our city to grow, to increase in population; and to do that we must afford them at least as good facilities for living and educating their children as those they left.”
More than 140 years ago, Seattle was already wrestling with a housing shortage so severe that newcomers could not find basic shelter. The 1882 editorial suggestion that private 'building associations' could solve the crisis mirrors today’s ongoing, contentious debates over density, development, and the role of private capital in providing affordable housing for a rapidly growing city.
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