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 The Holyoke Building - Seattle, WA
N 47° 36.323 W 122° 20.178
10T E 549885 N 5272654
A plaque located at the corner of the historic Holyoke Building notes its involvement in the 'Great Seattle Fire of 1889.'
Waymark Code: WMYRQT
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 07/18/2018
Views: 2
Located in front of the historic Holyoke Building is a plaque that notes this building as part of the 'Great Seattle Fire of 1889' and it reads:
| THE HOLYOKE BUILDING In 1889, while this building was under construction, fire consumed most (sixteen blocks) of Seattle's downtown business district. The deep pit that had been dug for this building's foundation acted as a fire stop, preventing the destruction from spreading further north. When reconstruction began after the fire, the Holyhoke Building, was the first office structure completed. In the first half of the 20th Century, the Holyhoke Building became a gathering place for artists and musicians, including Nellie C. Cornish, founder of Seattle's Cornish School. In 1970, the building was acquired by the predecessor of Harbor Properties, Inc. which later renovated it. In 1976, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. |
The following verbiage is taken from Wikipedia:
The Holyoke Building (or Holyoke Block) is a historic building located in downtown Seattle, Washington. It is a substantial five story brick structure with stone trimmings. Construction began at the corner of First Avenue and Spring Streets just before the Great Seattle fire of 1889. Completed in early 1890, it was the first permanent building completed and ready for occupancy in downtown Seattle following the fire. Today the Holyoke Building is one of the very few such buildings still standing in Seattle outside of the Pioneer Square district and is a historic remnant of the northward expansion of Seattle's business district between the time of the great fire and the Yukon Gold Rush in 1897.
Type of Structure: Private Building
Construction Date: 06/06/1889
Fire Date: 06/06/1889
Structure status: Plaque
Cause of Fire:
On the afternoon of June 6, 1889, John Back, an assistant in Victor Clairmont's woodworking shop at Front Street (now First Avenue) and Madison Avenue, was heating glue over a gasoline fire. Sometime after 2:15, the glue boiled over, caught fire, and spread to the floors, which were covered by wood chips and turpentine.
Documentation of the fire: [Web Link]
Other: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Give a narrative of your experience. Did you learn anything after reading about the fire in the waymark? Photos are always welcome too. Please no virtual visits.
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