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On The Horizon House 1966
2009-06-02 09:46:00 Oh no, not another one of those “things ain’t what they used to be” posts. Afraid so. In the first half of the 20th century you’d find postcards of the monumental Smith Tower and breathtaking Mount Rainier in background. By 1966 we turned to the Horizon House , whose glory was in name only. Horizon House ...
Pike Place Market 1908
2009-06-01 10:19:00 I believe I haven’t seen this Pike Place Market photo before. It dates back to 1908, showing the direct-to-consumer market we all know well. Couple things of note. What is that castle-like building in the upper left? Were the streets tamped dirt or asphalt? The 1920 shot has the familiar brick. Early ad placement on ...
From The Monorail Terminal, With Love
2009-05-29 09:07:00 We’ve seen a few similar angles in the past (one here and a rendering here), but never from the Monorail terminal itself. The photo must be post-1952, when Frederick & Nelson added a number of stories. Any other clues from the photo that would enable us to pin it down? When did Weisfield’s go away? ... More About: Terminal , Love , With Love
Firebird III, Yesterday Today
2009-05-27 09:31:00 From the archives, a time when General Motors was looking to the future rather than just trying to survive… Below find the venerable Firebird III concept car. It was shown in the Coliseum Century 21 exhibit during Seattle’s world fair. Features included anti-lock brakes, cruise control, air conditioning, air drag brakes, a joystick control, the ... More About: Today , Yesterday
Past Post: Madison Park 1909
2009-05-26 09:22:00 What a nice long weekend — and here comes the rain to wash it all away. Hope you were able to spend the holiday here. Click for higher res. A bit of Madison Park , Seattle, Wash. No. 5177 Publ. by Portland Post Card Co. Portland, Ore. and Seattle. Wash, (Made in Germany.) More About: Past , Madison Park
Memorial Day ?09
2009-05-25 11:22:00 On the holiday formerly known as Decoration Day, we remember men and women who have died in military service. The U.S.A. chant is optional. Click on the photo of Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet for higher res. Photograph of Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet anchored in Elliot Bay at night, May 1908. Spotlights are beaming off the fleet’s ... More About: Memorial Day , Memorial
Rail v. Car 1928
2009-05-22 09:28:00 Mundane accident, bitingly symbolic, somewhere in between? I got a real kick out of this 1928 photo. Will rail triumph once again later in 2009 when you need a ride to the airport? It’s scheduled to open then. Click on the photo for the super high res. Photo shows a car parked or stopped just under ... More About: Rail
Past Post: Seattle?s Commission Row
2009-05-21 09:39:00 Just a simple postcard today showing “commission row.” To read the story of the revolt against commission houses and early days of Pike Place Market, hit this HistoryLink article. Click on the thumbnail for higher resolution. Commission Row, Seattle , Washington. Published by The Valentine & Sons’ Pub. Co., Ltd., New York, Boston, and Atlanta. Printed in ... More About: Post , Past
A.Y.P.E?s Foreign And Mines Buildings
2009-05-20 09:29:00 Don Duncan had a nice recap of the nearly century old Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, written in scrapbook form for his late grandmother who had seen it herself. We’re getting close now to that anniversary. Here are a couple photos of the Foreign Building and Mines Building. Click for high res. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Detail of Foreign Building, Howard ... More About: Buildings
In Da Hyatt House
2009-05-19 09:20:00 Check out the 1960’s era promotional photo of Sea-Tac Airport’s Seattle Hyatt House . I first posted about it in January of 2008. According to this 2006 PI article, it was a hideaway for Ray Charles and Bill Cosby and was the setting for the 1965 film “The Slender Thread.” Anyone reading this have any memories ...
Seattle Skyline 1979
2008-06-09 09:30:00 I don’t come across a lot of 1970’s material for post here at Vintage Seattle (well, except for tons of powder blues), so I was glad to receive this photo submission in my mailbox from Ryan Donaldson. He writes: “It is amazing to realize how much that skyline has changed and will continue to be ... More About: Skyline
Past Post: Denny-Blaine Park 1912
2008-06-06 10:31:00 Past Post card today is showing Denny-Blaine Park in 1912. It was originally donated to the city by Charles Denny and Elbert Blaine, the latter having served as Seattle Parks Commissioner from 1902 to 1908. If you go today you can find a stone wall that marks the original shoreline pre-1917, when Lake Washington sank nine feet due to the ... More About: Past
World?s Fair Snapshots 1962 Pt. 2
2008-06-05 10:12:00 After yesterday’s photo dating contest, I thought it best to relax and take in Part 2 of the World ’s Fair Snapshots collection I started back in January. See here for the first batch. The date on the photos is May 24, 1962 and the only information we know is that the dapper man in the ...
What Year Was I Taken? Take 2
2008-06-04 10:17:00 Let’s try this again. Last time it didn’t go so well (mostly because I failed to come up with the actual date). However, I promise that this time I have a precise answer. So have at it. Use your wit, your intuition, your research skills — tell us all what year this bird’s-eye view of ... More About: Year
The Venerable Triangle Hotel & Bar
2008-06-03 09:25:00 Venerable! It’s a word I don’t use often but the Triangle Hotel & Bar (located down at the southern end of Pioneer Square next to the stadiums) deserves it. This is definitely one of my favorite buildings in the city and it’s one that you don’t forget once you lay eyes on it. The Triangle ...
Get Out And Get Under 1942
2008-06-02 09:50:00 After months of neglect, a thick layer of dust has settled on the School Days section here at th’ Org. It’s so thick I can write my name in it (that was always my mother’s metric for when it was time to dust). Clearing the dust is this World War II era (Pearl Harbor was ...
Player O The Week: Jim Beattie 1981
2008-06-01 10:10:00 To break this season’s curse I think the Mariners need to bring back the 1980’s button-up shiny jacket. Once you check out this 1981 Jim Beattie card from Topps, you’ll see what I mean. With that said, Jim Beattie is our Vintage Seattle Player O The Week . In ‘82 he pitched 19 consecutive scoreless innings ...
Undersea Gardens Goes Underground
2008-05-30 10:50:00 I must admit, I need some help on this one. A quick Google search of “Undersea Gardens Seattle” brings up… nothing. Anyone reading know whatever became of Undersea Gardens? When was it opened, when did it close and why? Ever been there? The idea of an undersea look at Puget Sound is interesting, though I ... More About: Underground
When It Goes, It Really Goes
2008-05-29 10:29:00 With news of the Ballard Manning’s so grim, I’ve found myself looking back at another building that met the wrecking ball. Remember when we took this, tore it down, and replaced it with this? While the 1950’s Seattle Public Library wasn’t as depressing as a modern condo replacement, I can’t help but wonder what if ...
Hoo Are You? Hoo-Hoo?
2008-05-28 09:37:00 A year from now next month will mark the 100 year anniversary of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Though it’s hard to say three times fast, the expo had almost 4 million visitors by the time it closed in October of 1909. We’ve looked at a few of the buildings constructed for the A.Y.P.E. recently, but there ...
City Center Motel 1962
2008-05-27 09:18:00 A Memorial Day road trip needs a good motel for when you’ve run out of gas money. Fitting the bill for many years was the City Center Motel , conveniently located on Aurora. Check this vintage 1962 ad showing the property and its features (some were coming soon). These days this location is a Holiday Inn ...
Memorial Day @ Vintage Seattle
2008-05-26 10:30:00 We began Memorial Day a little early here at Vintage Seattle with Part 1 and Part 2 of our vintage Seattle parade photo collection. The conclusion was that it was a Memorial Day parade from the mid 1950’s. Now that the actual day is here, let us know in the comments what you did while ...
Seattle?s Mystery Parade Pt. 2
2008-05-23 10:12:00 This old Seattle parade is getting a little less mysterious. In Part 1 of the photo set we’ve pieced a few clues together. Chainsaw Riggins weighed in with his vast motorcycle knowledge while Bradford (of VRSeattle) and Alex Porter traced the parade route and figured it must be a Memorial Day parade. Just in time ... More About: Mystery , Parade
Seattle?s Mystery Parade Pt. 1
2008-05-22 09:32:00 During a trip to my local paper shop I recently came across this set of old photographs from a Seattle parade taken some years ago. I really don’t have any information on them — who took them, what year, etc. Perhaps we can piece a few details together. What buildings do you recognize? Any car/motorcycle ... More About: Mystery , Parade
Take The Seattle Clock Walk
2008-05-21 09:16:00 You know you want to. Prolific blogger Rob Ketcherside has a site dedicated to historic Seattle clocks where you can take the clock walk. The tour doesn’t just include the 10 or so standing clocks around downtown, but many others you may not have thought of. It’s estimated to take about an hour and a ... More About: Clock , Walk
Reframe: 47th & Erskine, West Seattle
2008-05-20 09:06:00 Here we are with another Reframe where we troll through the archives to find a frame, grab the camera gear and head out to re-create that view at present. Just as the post from two weeks ago, I’m sticking to West Seattle . This time around it’s the intersection of 47th & Erskine. You’ll find a ...
Past Post: Where The Buffalo Roam
2008-05-19 10:12:00 What a great weekend! I spent Saturday at a picnic in Seward Park for a friend who just graduated from law school (congrats, Athena) and d*mn was it nice. Hope your weekend was enjoyable as well — whether you spent it at Seward, Woodland sans buffalo, or wherever. Here come two postcards from Woodland Park ... More About: Post , Buffalo , Past , Roam
Player O The Week: Pennington 1910
2008-05-18 10:06:00 We’re going way back, back, back for this week’s Vintage Seattle Player O The Week — all the way back to 1910. Straight from the Northwestern League comes Pennington of the Seattle ballclub. The card is not in the best shape, but we can still make out the words “marvelous blend” (it is lacking the ...
A Deep Cleaning In Deep Space
2008-05-16 09:46:00 The Seattle Times reports that the Space Needle is getting its first deep cleaning since it opened in 1962. So that means that it’s almost as dirty as my dog Scarf (click here for a photo of that little Ewok). Over 45 years of grime that I guess you could call… vintage. Wow. I definitely ... More About: Cleaning , Deep
What Year Was I Taken?
More articles from this author:2008-05-15 09:51:00 I want to try something a little different with this photo today… something “fun.” You know, because I usually hate fun and all. Let’s try in the comments to narrow down the year on this photo, based on the clues we see (buildings, signage) and clues we don’t see. Give it a go, work together ... More About: Year 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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