Victor Steinbrueck papers, 1931-1986 Overview of the Collection Creator Steinbrueck, Victor Title Victor Steinbrueck papers Dates 1931-1986 (inclusive) 1931 1986 Quantity 20.32 cubic feet (23 boxes and 1 package) Collection Number Summary Papers of a professor of architecture, University of Washington. Repository University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections. Special Collections University of Washington Libraries Box 352900 Seattle, WA 98195-2900 Telephone: 206-543-1929 Fax: 206-543-1931 [email protected] Access Restrictions Open to all users, but access to portions of the papers restricted. Contact Special Collection for more information Languages English Sponsor Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Biographical Note Victor Steinbrueck was born in 1911 in Mandan, North Dakota and moved with his family to Washington in 1914. Steinbrueck attended the University of Washington, earning a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1935. He joined the faculty at the University of Washington in 1946 and taught until his retirement in 1976. He was the author of Seattle Cityscape (1962), Seattle Cityscape II (1973) and a collections of his drawings, Market Sketchbook (1968). Victor Steinbrueck was Seattle's best known advocate of historic preservation. He led the battle against the city's redevelopment plans for the Pike Place Market in the 1960s. In 1959, the City of Seattle, together with the Central Association of Seattle, formulated plans to obtain a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) urban renewal grant to tear down the Market and everything else between First and Western, from Union to Lenora, in order to build a high rise residential, commercial and hotel complex. In response to these plans a group of supporters of the market and members of Allied Arts of Seattle, led by Victor Steinbrueck, formed Friends of the Market in 1964. Their efforts culminated in 1971 with a successful ballot initiative, the "People's Initiative," which established a seven-acre historic district around the market and a historical commission to oversee it, and thus saved the Market from demolition. Steinbrueck also helped lead the campaign in the 1960s that culminated in City Council passage of an ordinance which established the Pioneer Square Historic Preservation District. In 1972 Steinbrueck was appointed to the Citizens Action Force (Citizen's Stadium Task Force) which was concerned with the impact of the proposed King Street stadium on the surrounding area. He Victor Steinbrueck papers, 1931-1986 1 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv62947 became disillusioned and resigned from the group on August 29, 1972. He joined the Citizens Coalition For the Domed Stadium in a petition drive to put a stadium initiative on the ballot. For many years Steinbrueck fought the city over its Westlake Mall development plans. The project, initially conceived as a park in the area surrounding the Westlake Monorail terminal in Seattle's central business district, went through numerous plans incorporating, at various times, an office tower, luxury hotel, art museum and retail space. After Charles Royer took office as Mayor and proposed a new version of the Westlake project in 1978, Steinbrueck became the most vocal critic of the plan and a spokesman for Committee for Alternatives at Westlake. In the fall of 1984, City Attorney Doug Jewett achieved an agreement among Steinbrueck, other opponents of the project, and the developers, which incorporated Steinbrueck's ideas for more open public space in the development. Steinbrueck was also spokesman for the Downtown Neighborhood Alliance, a group which opposed Cornerstone Development's Waterfront Project, proposed for First Avenue in 1980. He also was involved with numerous small projects and controversies regarding public spaces and historic sites. Steinbrueck died in 1985. After his death, Pike Place Park was named Victor Steinbrueck Park in his memory. Content Description Campaign materials, correspondence, notes, minutes, transcripts of hearings, daybooks, ephemera, photographs and sketches, film and tape recordings. The bulk of material is from the campaign to save the Pike Place Market from destruction by urban renewal. Use of the Collection Restrictions on Use Creator's literary rights have been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries. Preferred Citation Victor Steinbrueck papers. Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries, Seattle, Washington. Administrative Information Arrangement Arranged in 5 accessions: Accession No. 3252-001, Victor Steinbrueck papers, 1950-1975. Accession No. 3252-003, Victor Steinbrueck papers, 1935-1986 Accession No. 3252-006, Victor Steinbrueck papers, 1931-1986 Accession No. 3252-007, Victor Steinbrueck papers, 1933-1975 Processing Note Victor Steinbrueck papers, 1931-1986 2 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv62947 Audiovisual material originally accessioned as MSS Accession No. 3252-008 has been transferred to PH Coll 832 (Victor Steinbrueck) in Special Collections, UW Libraries. Related Materials Special Collections has additional Steinbrueck architectural drawings, snapshots of the Pike Place Market and other drawings, including the originals for his three books. Detailed Description of the Collection Accession No. 3252-001: Victor Steinbrueck papers, 1950-1975 approximately 6 cubic feet (7 boxes and 1 oversize package) Arrangement: Arranged in 11 series: Campaign to Save the Pike Place Market Friends of the Market Seattle Pike Place Market Historical Commission Citizen's Committee to Save Pioneer Square and the International District Seattle Pioneer Square Historic District Preservation Board Seattle Citizen's Stadium Task Force Campaign to Save Broadway High School Committee to Save the White-Henry-Stuart Building Committee to Save the Bay Building Victor Steinbrueck personal papers American Institute of Architects, Seattle Chapter Scope and Content: Includes campaign materials, correspondence, notes and minutes, transcripts of hearings, daybooks, ephemera, photographs and sketches, plus film and tape recordings. The bulk of material documents Steinbrueck's efforts to save the Pike Place Market from destruction by urban renewal. The first two series, Campaign to Save The Pike Place Market and Friends of The Market, both document the effort to save the Market. All material that was labeled "Friends of the Market" is in that series; all other Market material is in the Campaign series. The correspondents, dates and subject matter of the two series is the same, so the researcher should use them together. Other series include the Seattle Pioneer Square Historic District Preservation Board which documents, generally, Steinbrueck's interest in Pioneer Square. There is no evidence that Steinbrueck was a member of the Commission. Included in this series is a survey of all the buildings in the Pioneer Square district. Other series contain records of other preservationist groups to which Steinbrueck belonged. The Personal Papers series is the remainder of the papers that did not belong in any series. The notes and minutes regarding Seattle City Council are detailed notes and exact quotations taken by Steinbrueck during Council meetings. Transcripts of hearings are also from Seattle City Council. The daybooks, in spiral shorthand pads, are diaries of phone calls, appointments, ideas, quotes, etc. The package contains hand-decorated and signed shopping bags from the "Save the Market" campaign. One item of special interest not related to the Market campaign is the Pioneer Square Historic District Study, 1969. It documents the Pioneer Square area building by building. Special Collections does not have maps, but does have the related photographs. Films show the market and various people Victor Steinbrueck papers, 1931-1986 3 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv62947 speaking about it; tapes include Market material and a series of lectures by Steinbrueck on Seattle architectural styles. Restrictions on Access: Open to all users, but access to portions of the papers restricted. Contact Special Collection for more information Acquisition Info: Gift of Victor Steinbrueck, February 11, 1982. Processing Info: Accession No. 3252-001 is a merger of Accession Nos. 3252-001 and 3252-002. Container(s) Description Dates Campaign to Save the Pike Place Market 1955-1975 Box/ Accession Folder 1/1 3252-001 Historical/organizational material 1969-1972 1/2-6 3252-001 General correspondence 1963-1975, Scope and Content: Primarily incoming correspondence undated 1/7-8 3252-001 Writings 1955-1971 1/9 3252-001 Writings - student papers 1964-1975 Restrictions on Access: Access restricted. Contact Special Collections for more information. 1/10-11 3252-001 Reports 1963-1974 1/12-14 3252-001 Urban renewal plans 1968-1969 1/15 3252-001 Environmental impact statement 1971-1973 1/16 3252-001 Grant application 1971 1/17 3252-001 Notes 1969-1975, undated 1/18-20 3252-001 Drawings 1969 1/21 3252-001 Proclamations and resolutions 1971 1/22 3252-001 Newsletters 1969-1971 1/23 3252-001 Guidelines and regulations 1969-1971 Victor Steinbrueck papers, 1931-1986 4 http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv62947 Container(s) Description Dates 1/24 3252-001 Statements regarding central business district plan 1963 1/25 3252-001 Lists 1970-1971 1/26 3252-001 Ordinances 1969 1/27 3252-001 Project and planning files 1972 1/28 3252-001 Legal documents 1972 1/29 3252-001