The Battle for the Custom House
Seattle property owners clash over where the city's new federal building should stand.
The story, cleaned up
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There is quite a controversy among the property-owners and others interested, as to where the Custom House should be located. Mr. Hash's committee seems to favor a spot near Yesler's field on the bluff, half a mile or so from the wharf, while others think it should be located near where the present Custom House stands. Captain Moore, of the revenue steamer Wolcott, who has perhaps seen more service in the Treasury Department than any other officer in the Custom House, stated that the Collector is then arranging bids to be sent to the committee. These bids and recommendations will be kept for reference, and in due time the supervising architect, whose duty it is by act of Congress to select and purchase all sites for public buildings under the Treasury Department, will send out one or two of his deputies to select and purchase a site acceptable to the Government.
“There is quite a controversy among the property-owners and others interested, as to where the Custom House should be located.”
Federal building siting remains a contentious civic issue in Seattle, echoing these early debates over whether public infrastructure should be clustered at the waterfront or pushed to the bluffs. The tension between historical site preference and modern urban planning priorities continues to shape the downtown landscape.
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