Seattle skyline 1929

Symi81 · #1 Posted **Jun 6, 2007, 4:14 AM**

Found this photo in the Museum of History & Industry (seattle) archives. The photographer was Anderson M.P.

seaskyfan · #2 Posted **Jun 6, 2007, 5:00 AM**

Great photo. It's cool how many of those buildings are still there.

mhays · #3 Posted **Jun 11, 2007, 11:27 PM**

Famous photo. Locally I mean.

mhays · #4 Posted **Jun 11, 2007, 11:27 PM**

And look, much of Denny Hill was still there in the foreground.

James Bond Agent 007 · #5 Posted **Jun 11, 2007, 11:28 PM**

Looks much better now.

foxmtbr · #6 Posted **Jun 12, 2007, 8:22 AM**

Cool shot!

Paper Boy · #7 Posted **Jun 12, 2007, 10:56 PM**

This is GOLD!

A couple questions for you Seattle forumers. The taller building in the centre with the spire........What is it called? I have been in it and completely forgotten. When I was there, the security guy advised me that it was the tallest building in America when it was built. 1920s-30s? He also said there are womens washrooms on the top floor with views facing out...is this true as well?

DecoJim · #8 Posted **Jun 13, 2007, 6:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paper Boy

This is GOLD!

A couple questions for you Seattle forumers. The taller building in the centre with the spire........What is it called? I have been in it and completely forgotten. When I was there, the security guy advised me that it was the tallest building in America when it was built. 1920s-30s? He also said there are womens washrooms on the top floor with views facing out...is this true as well?

Since no Seattle formers answered, I will take a stab at it...

The two tallest buildings in the picture are:
1. Smith Tower (on the right), 1914, 38 floors.
2. Seattle Buidling (on the left), 1929, 27 floors.

Since the much taller 57 story Woolworth Building in NY was completed in 1914, that puts to rest any claim that the Smith Tower was the tallest. In fact the Singer Building and Met Life building were both also taller and were built in 1908 and 1909 respectively. Perhaps the Smith tower was the tallest building in western part of the USA at the time it was built.

mhays · #9 Posted **Jun 13, 2007, 8:13 PM**

I hear it was the tallest in the Western US for 40 years. Still shows up on our skyline from the south and west, particularly since the surrounding area isn't zoned that tall anymore. The height is amazing because Seattle had just 250,000 people in 1910, i.e. not a big city.

PS, it's about 7 blocks behind the other tower, and also lower in elevation. Smith Tower was an absolute beast in 1914 and even much later.

I love it. And the observation deck, in a cage just below the triangle top, is one of Seattle's less-known treasures. Plus, the inside portion of the observation level was decorated in a Chinese style at the expense of the Chinese ambassador, or something like that, so it's interesting too. All available for parties of course.

city dweller · #10 Posted **Jun 13, 2007, 8:37 PM**

I love it! - it almost looks fake, like part of a toy train set or something. Seattle would have been way out there back in 1929, no? Imagine going through the mountains and forests to get there coming from the east, no sprawl - amazing! Thanks.

KevinFromTexas · #11 Posted **Jun 14, 2007, 12:15 AM**

Great pic. The Smith Tower is still one of my favorites on the west coast.

Wheelingman04 · #12 Posted **Jun 16, 2007, 7:20 PM**

Gorgeous!

Stephenapolis · #13 Posted **Jun 17, 2007, 4:54 AM**

Wow! It was just as beautiful then as it is now.

mhays · #14 Posted **Jun 17, 2007, 5:09 AM**

What's amazing is how much a mountain that's 60 miles away dominates the skyline.

Some days it's like a science fiction book cover. The "regular" Cascade range fades off into the distance, with clouds above...and then Rainier is looming over even that.

The 14,410 height isn't that much, unless you're looking from sea level.