Technological Marvel Documents City: Archival Photos of Seattle Homes

Way back in the late 19th Century, long before the Information Age, our city’s forefathers (and foremothers) saw fit to document their emerging city using a marvelous new gizmo:  the camera. Ever since, city employees have been snapping pics. The photo above captures a scene at the Broadway Playfield (now part of Cal Anderson Park) in 1910.

In 1937 the city took photos of most buildings in Seattle. If your home existed at that time, you can find a photo of it by contacting the Washington State Archives. If your house was built post-1937, it’s still worth contacting the archive to see if any later photos exist. A friend found a 1945 photo of his 1941-built Ballard home in the archive. Photo prices range from $17-$55, depending on size. When contacting the archive, make sure you have your address and parcel number.

In addition to photos, the archive can also send you a data sheet chock-full of interesting trivia about your home. Reviewing my home’s records, I realized my home “borders the negro district,” was built of “medium grade materials” and in 1937 had a life expectancy of only 10 more years.

Luckily, the old-growth timbers proved a bit more durable. After recent systems updates, including a new connection to the city sewers, my hundred-year-old home should be ready for another 100 years. (Fingers crossed.)

If you care to do a bit of personal sleuthing, check out the Seattle Municipal Archives Photograph Collection.  Many of the photos document civic improvements (i.e., sewer construction) and landslide damage (caused by broken water mains, prompting construction of the new reinforced concrete sewers). And there are numerous photos of various city parks—seems Seattle tended toward the green even then.

You can search the collection by neighborhood and decade. I was lucky enough to find a 1925 photo of my block. Driveways had yet to appear, and the east side of the street is excavated–for new sewers no doubt.