Now & Then

Paul Dorpat digs into our rich local history, sharing images and stories from Seattle’s past.

Pacific NW magazine

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THEN1: Held by his mom, Patricia, and eyed by his masked dad, Dallas, the hours-old Neil Armstrong Dial poses July 20, 1969, in a Northwest Hospital room. Décor included a model lunar module made from an inverted Styrofoam cup, with Q-tips for legs.

July 10, 2019 at 7:00 am

Meet the man born in Seattle on July 20, 1969, and named — you guessed it — Neil Armstrong Dial VIEW

The baby born in Seattle 50 years ago at the same time as the 1st moon landing is now an attorney who’s as humble as...

THEN: This view, probably looking southeast at five streetcars heading north, dates from 1890, 17 years before Ballard annexed to Seattle.

July 4, 2019 at 7:00 am

This week’s ‘Then’ photo could be from Interbay or Belltown. If you know, please let us know!

For sure, it’s somewhere on the line between Ballard and Seattle.

Mayor Allan Pomeroy is at the microphone, and Seafair Queen Carol Christensen stands center stage at this April 18, 1955, rally. Left of center, behind team owner Emil Sick and his trademark bowler, Fred Hutchinson peeks out. For IDs of others onstage, see this feature on SeattleTimes.com.

June 27, 2019 at 7:00 am

Hutch, the baseball hero and namesake for the cancer research center founded by his brother, was born in Seattle 100 years ago

Fred Hutchinson, a star pitcher for Franklin High School and the Seattle Rainiers before finding success as a pitcher and manager in the major leagues,...

THEN: Count the flags, big and small, strewn throughout this glimmering “then.” We calculate at least 100. For detailed maps, engaging narrative and stunning photos on the A-Y-P, check out the centennial book by Alan J. Stein, Paula Becker and the staff of HistoryLink.

June 20, 2019 at 7:00 am

A fairly wide view of Seattle’s 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition

Washington state’s first world’s fair opened 110 years ago at the University of Washington.

This 1885 or 1886 view shows only the right (west) half of a panorama that is wide enough to support two hand-drawn Mount Rainiers. You can find the full panorama, with both peaks for your confusion and/or pleasure, at seattletimes.com/pacificnw.

June 13, 2019 at 7:00 am

Stacking up evidence of Seattle’s growth in the 1880s

Booming pillars of pride signaled commercial success — and population statistics confirm it.

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 caption: Five years after the Rainier Chapter House was built, nearly 90 women pose on its portico, illustrating the age-old photographer’s challenge of getting everyone to face the same direction. In the middle, can you also spot a costumed George Washington?

May 23, 2019 at 7:00 am

‘Seattle’s Own Mount Vernon’: now, authentically historic

The 94-year-old Rainier Chapter House of the Daughters of the American Revolution is a faithful reproduction of George and Martha Washington’s famed residence.

THEN caption: In this 1893 image showcasing Seattle Transfer Company, a few steeds are blurry, oblivious to the need to stand still for the exposure.

May 16, 2019 at 7:00 am

How to haul goods in the 1800s? By horse, of course.

By 1900, fueled by the Gold Rush, the Seattle Transfer Company employed 79 men and 85 horses.

THEN caption: What may appear to be a mast atop the foreground boat is actually a sort of crane, says Jim Wheat, president of Ballard-based Captain’s Nautical Supplies. Our thanks also go to Ron Edge for finding this panorama and pinpointing key buildings.

May 9, 2019 at 7:00 am

Bolstering a booming city by transforming its landscape

In 1916, the Smith and Sears Roebuck towers took a back seat to Seattle’s rapidly evolving industrial backbone (and one lonely vessel) on the splayed...

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