The Building Boom of 1882
While Seattle today faces a housing supply crisis, this 1882 report details a rapid expansion period where 105 new buildings were erected in a single year, aiming to make the city more attractive to the outside world.
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.
From Mr. Frank Seidel, City Assessor, we learn that during the past year there have been built within the city limits 105 buildings. This does not include those commenced since last January, nor those in the Pontine or D. T. Denny additions. The total assessed valuation of these 105 new buildings is $993,000. The city assessment this year is $11,000,000, against $6,600,000 last year. The merchants and business men have in a valuation equal to more than last year. The result of this will be that the city tax this year will not exceed six mills on the dollar, against eleven and one-half mills last year, thereby making a much better showing to the outside world.
“The result of this will be that the city tax this year will not exceed six mills on the dollar... thereby making a much better showing to the outside world.”
This 1882 snippet highlights the cyclical nature of Seattle's growth. Just as 19th-century boosters pushed for rapid development to attract capital and lower tax rates, modern Seattle continues to grapple with the tension between aggressive new construction and the city's shifting tax and affordability landscape.
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