Yesler Way (1887 & 2009)

Fri, Nov 20, 6 a.m. 2009

by Rob Ketcherside

In the 1887 photo we're looking up Yesler Way just a day before the Great Fire. On the far left is the Post Building, which was named after the Seattle P-I and lent its name to Post Avenue and Post Alley. Up at the end of the block is the Yesler-Leary Building, which was not replaced after the fire -- instead the opportunity was taken to smooth the connection of 1st Avenue which had a hard jog at Yesler. In the "Now" photo, the Smith Tower dominates instead of the triangle at James and Yesler. It was the Occidental Hotel before the fire, Seattle Hotel after the fire, and is now the "sinking ship" garage, which just won't go under no matter how long we wait. It's amazing when compared with an 1887 photo from just after the fire, at almost the same spot.