Jean Sherrard | The Seattle Times

THEN: We invite readers to search for the legendary suffragists amongst the delegates depicted here on May 2, 1916. These include Lucy Burns, Harriott Stanton Blatch, Florence Bayard Hilles and Elizabeth Selden Rogers. The keen-eyed may discover UW President Henry Suzzallo in the crowd. We will post photos of these notables at pauldorpat.com for comparison.

August 11, 2019 at 7:00 am

A Centennial Celebration of Suffrage: Suffragists in Seattle uphold ‘proof of life’ — and a powerful fight for rights

Then, nearly 70 women (and a handful of men) lined up to secure a fundamental right of democracy; now, they are celebrated.

Pacific NW Magazine

THEN: A Seattle-bound train boards passengers at the Black Diamond depot in 1910. While these rails were mainly dedicated to transporting coal, in its heyday, three passenger trains a day made the trip to the big city.

July 18, 2019 at 7:00 am

The railway that saved Seattle’s fortunes — and a young romance

A 40-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Railway built in the late 1800s transported coal and people. Historian Kurt E. Armbruster describes it in his newest...

THEN: Built in 1883, the luxurious Occidental Hotel covered the flatiron block bounded by Second, Yesler and James. In our “then,” its three-story stone monolith looms over a crew of weary firemen. Locals rated the Occidental “the largest and best equipped house north of San Francisco.” Destroyed in the Great Fire, it was succeeded by the Seattle Hotel, which held court for 70 years.

June 6, 2019 at 7:00 am

From ‘the hideous remains’ of the Great Fire, a new and improved Seattle rises

A small pioneer town reintroduced itself as an ambitious young city just in time for the 1897 Gold Rush.

Only a handful of images exist of the actual fire – taken by professional photographer William Boyd, whose studio was lost to the flames. Shot from the corner of Spring and Front streets, our “then” looks south to smoke billowing up from Madison Street, where the fire began. The grand pioneer landmark Frye’s Opera House looms large (upper left), just before being engulfed. None of the visible structures survived.

May 30, 2019 at 7:00 am

130 years ago, poor planning added fuel to Seattle’s Great Fire

With too much wood and not enough water, the city was a firetrap on June 6, 1889 — 29 city blocks, nearly a square mile,...

THEN: Looking north on Fourth Avenue from its intersection with Union Street in 1942. Our thanks to Bob Carney, automobile historian, who indicates that the second car on the right is a 1942 Chrysler, and to Ron Edge, our resident photo maven, for confirming the year.

May 2, 2019 at 7:00 am

Seattle’s Fourth Avenue is still as pretty as a postcard picture

Postcard photographer J. Boyd Ellis captured buildings in 1942 along a downtown block that has hardly changed since.

THEN 2: Battery Street tunnel under construction in 1953, looking west. The Hull Building, upper right, still guards the northwest corner of First and Battery.

March 14, 2019 at 7:00 am

Time-traveling through Seattle’s Battery Street Tunnel

From a 1954 ventilation test to a 2019 farewell stroll, vehicles and people filled the underground roadway. Now, viaduct rubble will do that.

THEN: Possible members of the Seattle Photography Club, including Horace Sykes, who may have taken this photo – although we can’t know for sure.

March 7, 2019 at 7:00 am

Celebrating the Alaskan Way Viaduct, coming and going

Like the double-decker highway span itself, ribbon-cutting ceremonies in 1953 and 2019 did not exactly flow perfectly.

July 1, 2007 at 12:00 am

Worth Repeating

In her book "Babel Tower," the great English novelist A.S. Byatt describes a remarkable feeling. Familiar places, places in which our ancestors lived and died...

Pacific NW Magazine