Seattle Historical Sites

A commercial storefront was added to this house in 1937.  This vicinity near Broadway was one of the first sections of Capitol Hill to develop.  It was platted by David T. Denny, the trustee for the estate of John Nagle, who filed the donation claim for the area.  In 1891 a streetcar line was extended from James Street, running north on Broadway (one block east of this site) to the city limits at E. Lynn Street, with direct service to downtown added on Pike Street in 1901.  This house was built about the same time as the 1903 completion of Seattle (later Broadway) High School, the city’s first modern high school.  It was located nearby at the corner of Broadway and E. Pine Street.  Students came from throughout Seattle and even from across Lake Washington to attend.  Broadway, already an important street, flourished with new businesses, especially those catering to students, such as sandwich shops. By 1910 the area was largely developed, with small commercial buildings, numerous apartment buildings and single family homes.  Further apartment and commercial development occurred in the 1920s, when the Broadway district boomed to become one of the city’s premier shopping venues.  The addition of a storefront to this single-family house illustrates the changing character of the area.