From the time of the Puget Sound's earliest white settlements, locals were aware that the region's numerous high-quality clay deposits could be used for brick making. Nonetheless, because of the area's seemingly endless supply of local timber, and the early development of the milling industry, most of Seattle's first buildings were constructed of wood. By the 1880s, Seattle imported lumber from mills around the sound and from lumber operations connected to Seattle by the rail lines.

As commercial activity in Puget Sound's regional centers increased, builders used more durable materials with greater frequency. Boosterism fueled by land speculation created a small demand for more permanent or exotic materials. Due to their relatively high cost and frequent materials shortages, masonry construction was generally reserved for significant buildings. Even with increased rail linkages, and growing fire concerns, wood remained the dominant building material around the turn of the twentieth century.

Prior to concrete's widescale use, natural stone or brick was the principle material for foundations, walls, and ornamentation of large or important buildings.

After the Fire

On June 6, 1889, a fire burned most of Seattle's downtown core to the ground. At the time, most of Seattle's buildings were of wood frame construction and were constructed on post and pier foundations, creating a path for fire and a ready supply of oxygen. Referring to Pioneer Square, Clarence Bagley wrote, "at the time of the fire it contained mostly frame hotels and lodging houses of the most combustible character." Once the fire started, the sheer intensity of the heat and Seattle's poorly designed water system allowed it to spread quickly.

Fire was a significant concern for most 19th century cities. Similar fires destroyed the commercial centers of Spokane and Vancouver that same summer, and by the end of the next day a unanimous public vote had called for the prohibition of new wooden buildings within Seattle's commercial core. The city council, influenced by insurance representatives and investors, affirmed this decision within weeks.

Seattle's downtown transformed quickly. Initially a small town of one and two story wood frame buildings, the city recreated itself in ornate brick and stone. The first post-fire buildings used load bearing masonry walls with wood or steel framing.

Curtain wall construction, in which an internal frame supports the weight of the structure rather than the walls, made its first appearance in Seattle at the beginning of the 20th century.

Though both stone and brick were employed more frequently after the fire, the cost of stone limited its use to ornamentation and sub-grade construction. Stone's impermeability made it a superior foundation material. Often, designers of commercial buildings specified more expensive materials like stone and terra cotta for entryways, street level facades and other highly visible areas while brick was used elsewhere.

Commercialism and economic ambition encouraged architectural statements using other fireproof materials. In the late 19th century, these included: ornate masonry facades, cast-iron pillars in the ground floor storefronts, and large panels of high quality plate glass. Although cast iron was produced locally, in most cases it was imported from Portland or San Francisco. According to city directories, the number of local firms producing cast iron for various purposes doubled from 12 to 24 between 1889 and 1899, although many of these businesses produced a variety of products. By 1899 there were two structural iron works in Seattle, and by 1909 there were four firms producing structural iron with an equal number producing structural steel.

New building codes stemming from fire fears created a heavy demand for brick and stone in Seattle. According to Clarence Bagley's History of Seattle, within 30 days of the fire over eighty brick buildings were completed or under construction, and within one year as the railroads were rebuilt and infrastructure was reestablished, there were well over one hundred new buildings in place. Though Bagley's accounts were often hyperbolic, the pace of new brick construction after the fire was clearly fierce.

In spite of this spike in construction activity, material shortages were a common occurrence immediately after the fire. Most of the wharves used for shipping along the waterfront burned in the fire, which delayed delivery of new construction materials. By the end of the summer, the local brickyards were falling behind demand. Both the manufacture of brick and bricklaying depended on dry conditions. The onset of Seattle's typically moist fall weather exacerbated delays.

Built between 1889-1890, the Diller Hotel on First Avenue, was constructed of bricks imported from Japan. Local builders also imported bricks from other places in the Northwest, such as Port Townsend and British Columbia. Dozens of new brickyards, cement plants and lime works cropped up in the Puget Sound area over the next several years. In 1890, supply met demand, and by the end of the nineteenth century, most towns had a local brickyard. There were also several regional suppliers. In 1889, Seattle had seven brick and tile manufacturers. By 1909, the city had twice as many.

The Tenino and Wilkeson quarries near Olympia, and the Chuckanut Quarry, near Bellingham were primary sources for stone construction materials. Stone was generally cut into large blocks at the quarry, finished smoothly and transported to the job site in Seattle by water, where the final details were cut. Many buildings in Seattle's Pioneer Square show the fine-grained sandstone supplied by Washington's quarries. Occasionally, high quality or exotic stone was transported from outside of the region by rail.

Numerous local operations throughout Washington also served local markets. Before the turn-of-the-century there were over 250 stone quarries in operation in Washington, though few endured. Ruins of some stone works, such as the Sucia Island Sandstone Company on the southern side of Sucia Island State Park, can still be found.

Brick residences were relatively uncommon in Seattle before the turn of the century. Though building codes restricted the use of lumber within the commercial core, wood construction was an economic and flexible option within residential neighborhoods. With the exception of certain opulent homes for the wealthy, brick did not become common in residential use until the 1920s when improved transportation systems and more mechanized production made the material more affordable for the average home builder.

References

Bagley, Clarence. History of Seattle from the earliest settlement to present time. Chicago: SJ Clarke Publishing Company, 1916.

Bucher, Ward. Dictionary of Building Preservation. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1996.

Ochsner, Jeffrey K. and Dennis A. Andersen. Distant Corner: Seattle Architects and the Legacy of H.H. Richardson. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2003.

Phelps, Myra. Public Works in Seattle: A Narrative History of the Seattle Engineering Department 1875-1975. Seattle: Seattle Engineering Department, 1978.

Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Built in Washington. Pullman, WA: WSU Press, 1989.

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