Our volunteer Ilias Bowen-Sicalides recently finished processed a set of Engineering Department records that gives us a fascinating look at street vending carts in the 1970s and 1980s. The Board of Public Works authorized street vending carts in 1972, with a one-page document providing all of the regulations for cart… [ Keep reading ]
An unusual Department of Community Development report from 1971 was meant to incorporate ecological and urban design factors into Seattle’s city planning efforts. Titled “Determinants of City Form,” the document is more or less an atlas of stylized maps with accompanying narratives. A transmittal letter to the mayor declared the… [ Keep reading ]
A council-vs-mayor kerfuffle broke out in 1973 over “promotional hosting” – that is, City lobbyists wining and dining state legislators as they argued for the City’s interests. Hal Meyer, supervisor of legislative research for the City Council, ran up over $6000 in credit card charges, mainly at Seattle (not Olympia)… [ Keep reading ]
Sometimes we come across folder titles that cry out for further investigation. When we saw a 1971 file labeled “Haircut Incident” listed in Mayor Uhlman’s records, we couldn’t resist heading to the vault to check it out. The folder turned out to contain records documenting a dispute about whether firefighter… [ Keep reading ]
We’re in peak cherry blossom season, with crowds flocking to the University of Washington quad and other spots in the city that are bursting with pink blooms. Our Seattle Center Promotion and Publicity Records (Record Series 7613-01) include a folder documenting early years of Seattle’s Cherry Blossom Festival. The 1979… [ Keep reading ]
Founded in 1970, Seattle’s Black Academy of Music (BAM) provided music instruction, visiting artist events, performances, and festivals that emphasized the importance of Black music, history, and culture. Led by local jazz icon Joe Brazil, BAM was a groundbreaking community arts organization that influenced and supported countless local (and beyond)… [ Keep reading ]
Happy Native American Heritage Month! Today we’re remembering the Takeover of Fort Lawton, which began on March 8, 1970 when Native activists and their allies scaled fences surrounding what was then the recently decommissioned Fort Lawton military base in Magnolia, launching a coordinated effort to occupy and reclaim the land… [ Keep reading ]
The Seattle Parks Department’s Meadowbrook Pool officially opened to the public on October 14, 1975 – 50 years ago today! SMA holds materials documenting the planning, construction, opening, and use of this important community resource since it first began serving the public and nearby Nathan Hale High School students a… [ Keep reading ]
