The Mud Hole at the Arlington Hotel
A local property dispute on Commercial Street exposes the messy reality of 1885 Seattle infrastructure.
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.
Commercial street has been planked its full width, with the exception of a strip about ten feet wide extending from Main to Jackson street, directly in front of the Arlington Hotel. This portion of the street is in continual use and the result is that the only disgraceful mud hole there is on Commercial street is directly in front of the only first-class hotel in Seattle. Some action should be taken to compel the owners of the property to plank over that unplanked portion of the street. The cost would be but slight, while the benefit would be great. Yesterday afternoon a well-dressed lady and gentleman were passing the hotel, when the hack team drove up, through this mud hole, and the consequence was that both the lady and gentleman were bespattered all over with mud. 'This property,' said the man, pointing to the Arlington Hotel, 'belongs to a City Councilman, not, however, one of the law and order members.'
“This property belongs to a City Councilman, not, however, one of the 'law and order' members.”
The tension between private property owners and public infrastructure needs remains a cornerstone of Seattle politics. Today's debates over sidewalk repairs and bike lanes find an echo in this 1885 complaint about a 'disgraceful mud hole' affecting a prominent downtown hotel, suggesting that the city's growth has always outpaced its maintenance.
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