File:Damage to Yesler-Leary Block after Great Fire, Seattle, July 1889 (MOHAI 11925).jpg

English:

The Great Fire of June 6, 1889 was a turning point in Seattle's history, destroying 100 acres of Seattle's business district and waterfront, changing both the physical and political landscapes of the city. The city didn't take much time to mourn; by July, businesses throughout the burned-out area had reopened in tents, houses, or wherever they could find space. Most businesses decided to rebuild where they had been, and rebuilding began almost immediately.

Seattle's Yesler-Leary Building was built in 1883 on the northwest corner of Mill Street (Yesler Way) and Front Street (First Avenue). Law offices, a bank, and other businesses occupied its many-windowed upper floors. In the basement, people could buy beer and sandwiches or bowl a game or two in the bowling alley. This elegant corner building, with its grand corner tower and turret, was destroyed in the Great Seattle Fire. The Yesler Building, now known as the Mutual Life Building, was built at that location in 1891, and remains standing as of 2018.

This postcard shows the remains of the Yesler-Leary building after the fire, noting that this particular section housed the First National Bank of Seattle.

Original photograph by John P. Soule, July 1889. Copied in 1912 by McManus. Caption on postcard: Yesler-Leary Block Showing First National Bank, Seattle Wash July 1889 [copyright symbol] McManus 1912 Caption information source: http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/5389

• Subjects (LCTGM): Fires--Washington (State)--Seattle; Great Fire, Seattle, Wash., 1889; Photographic postcards