Plan of Seattle. Report of the Municipal Plans Commission
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PLAN OF ONICIPAL PLANS COMMISSION REPORT OF VIRGE. G. BOGUS ENGINEER ''^'- '^: ilSr&iP5^FC^^^;-¥C • ~Jf,-..-:.;0-w-.>\-.JK.-' £i''. -V '"> •' '^1' '^ ^' * d'H r. ^^ t r^ i I ' " '^ / PLAN OF SEATTLE Report of the Municipal Plans Commission submitting Report of Virgil G. Bogue Engineer igii PUBLISHERS: LOWMAN & HaNFORD CO. SEATTLE ft BLAKE, iriORAVCHa, Seattle ''H.ow beautiful thou art! Stretching thine arms to greet the Orient; Gazing with eyes of mystery, to pierce The far sea-spaces; dreaming, mother-like; The boundaries of thy power still unset, The wonder of thy destiny, unknown." —Alice R. Coe. S4A3 Table of Contents PAGE REPORT OF COMMISSION 9 INTRODUCTORY 16 ARTERIAL HIGHWAYS, Introductory Remarks .... 21 Central Avenue: Magnolia Way; Highways No. 38 and No. 22; Highway No. 24; Highways Nos. 12 and 33 (combined); Spo- kane Street Route; Highway No. 41; Highways Nos. 39 and 40 (combined); Marginal Ways; Highway No. 6; Highway No. 48; Highway No. 19; Highways Nos. 22 and 53 (combined); High- Tunnels way No. 38 ; Bothell-Kirkland-Renton Route ; Mercer Island ; for street traffic 24-33 CIVIC CENTER 34 PARK IMPROVEMENTS 41 Parks 41 Parkways 42 Boulevards 43 Playgrounds . 44 Suburban Boulevards 46 Park Comparisons and Summary 47 MUNICIPAL DECORATIONS 49 HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS 54 PORT OF SEATTLE 61 West Seattle District 61 Harbor Island District 63 DuwAMiSH Waterway 68 Central Waterfront District 69 Smiths Cove—West Point District 74 Ballard District 76 2569r'>0 4 CONTENTS VMiE Lake Union District "S Lake Washington 83 Lake Washington—West Side District 84 Lake Washington—Rexton District 88 Lake Washington—East Side District 02 Shore Frontage—Seattle Harbor 95 Dry Dock 96 Sea Walls 90 Drawbridges 192 Future Development of the Central Waterfront - 197 TRANSPORTATION 112 Separation of Grades on the Tide Flats 120 Steam Railways 125 Rapid Transit System 131 Yarrow Bay Tunnel 132 Interurban Service 133 Street Railways 133 Ferries 136 CLOSING WORD 138 APPENDIX NO. I—Arterial Highways 139 APPENDIX NO. II—Parics and Playgrounds 177 APPENDIX NO. Ill—Proposed Rapid Transit System - - - 180 List of Maps and Illustrations Portion of Seattle Wnterfront, 1870. Portion of Seatile Waierfrout, 1910. Monument to Victor Emanuel, Rome. Approach to Public Gardens at Railway Station at Bologna, Italy. Central Avenue, Rio de Janeiro. Restored Front of Palace, Mitla Ruins, Mexico. Ruins of Greeli Temple, Paestum. Ruins of Egyptian Temple, Edfu Civic Center Project, Cleveland, Ohio. Seattle, 1878. Plan of Civic Center Project. View of Civic Center from neighboring hill, looking west. lUisiness and Aj)artment House Areas. North Station, Paris. Railway Station Plaza, Balse, Switzerland. Central Station, Antwerp. View into Civic Center from Olympic Mall. Central Avenue looking North into Central Station. Civic Center Group, looking South on Central Avenue. Schmitz Park Scene, Seattle. Volunteer Park Scene, Seattle. Fairmont Park Entrance to City Hall, Philadelphia. Street Intersections and Concourses. Waterloo Palace, London. Rue Leys, Antwerp. Board of Trade Building, Marseilles. Avenue de I'Opera, Paris. Rue Soutt'lot and Pantheon, Paris. An Idea for Civic Monument on Duwamish Head. Dock at Hamburg. Montreal, Canada. Montreal, Canada. Bush Terminal, New York. Chelsea Dock, New York. Dock and Waterfront, Buenos Aires. Waterfront, Hull, England. Dock at Hamburg. Waterfront, Sauna's Cruz, Jlexico. Suggestion for Terminal Treatment, Harbor Island. East Wate.way Ferry. Watergate, Bordeaux, France. Thames Embankment, London. West Massachusetts Street Public Slip. Spring Street Public Dock. West Jlercer Street Public Dock and Harbor. Recreation Piers, Philadelphia. Recreation Pier, Hull, England. : 6 MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS W;it(M-fr()nt, Aiitwer]). .Miiilisoii I'lirk, Siif;y;cste<l Waterfront Improvements. Pontine Waterfront District. Day Street, Ferry and Boat Landings. Bothell Waterfront District. Design of Sea Wall, Central Waterfront. Design of Sea Walls, East and \\est \Vaterways. Watergate, Seattle. Railroad and Whatcom Avenues, Location for Railway Tracks. Virginia Street Incline I'lane. Madison Street Subway, Evanston, Ills. Davis Street Subway, Evanston, Ills. Rinn Street Subway, Evanston, Ills. Steel Subway, Kinnickiunic Avenue, Milwaukee. Railway Approaches to Central Station. The following Maps will be found in the back of book General Map of Seattle, showing Existing and Proposed Improvements. Map of Seattle, showing Existing and Proposed Highways and Propo.sed Waterfront De- velopment. Map of Seattle, showing Existing and Proposed Parks and Park Boulevards and Pro- posed Rapid Transit Routes. Map of Seattle, showing Existing and Proposed Steam Railways and Waterfront Devel- opment. West Seattle Waterfront District. Harbor Island Waterfront District. Duwaniish Valley (North Part). Duwamish N'alley (South Part). Central Waterfront District. Smith Cove-West Point Waterfront District. Ballard Waterfront District. Lake Union \\'aterfrout District. Union Bay Waterfront District. Juanita-Bellevue Waterfront District. Bellevne-Renton Waterfront District. Renton-Rainier Beach Waterfront District. Separation of Grades, Seattle Tide Lands. Topographic Map, Seattle and Vicinity. — Seattle, Washington, August 24, 1911. Municipal Plans Commission, Seattle, Washington. Oentlemen:—In submitting the accompanying plan and re- port, I wish to mention with pleasure and appreciation the names of those who have materially assisted in the work. Mr. D. W. McMorris, as general assistant, has performed invaluable service for which his experience and judgment have especially fitted him. Mr. Paul P. Whitham has shown capabilities of a high order, especially in waterfront matters. Mr. W. L. Hoffeditz, as the head of the drafting oflBce, has been untiring in the effort to maintain a high standard of ex- cellence. W. G. Sayles, Locating Engineer, James Coyle, Locating Engineer, J. D. Mason, Assistant on Railicays, Henry Baetz, Structural Engineer, W. H. Tiedeman, Assistant Engineer, also J. D. Patton, Draughtsman, G. F. Nicholson, Draughtsman, F. KoEPF, Draughtsman, F. Deiily, Draughtsman, T. W. Macartney, DraMgrfttsman, H. C. Williams, Draughtsman. M. D. Wilkinson, Draughtsman, W. W. Chalk, Draughtsman, R. Ellis, Draughtsman, have displayed such willingness and ability, each in his own sphere, as to command hearty recognition of their valuable service. Mr. David J. Myers, architect, who made the drawings of the proposed Civic Center, has not only furnished this proof of marked ability, but also made many suggestions of recognized value. Of the city engineer and his capable force, I desire to par- ticularly speak: Their willing and timely support has facilitated my every effort. Without it the work undertaken by me would have been far more difficult. And, lastly, I wish to acknowledge my appreciation of the confidence and kindness of the members of the Municipal Plans Commission, who have entrusted to my hands the guidance of their lofty ambitions for the future of their home city. Very respectfully. r^-^-t-—^-.-^ "^ Report of Municipal Plans Commission Seattle, Washington, September 7, 1911. TO THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OP THE CITY OF SEATTLE: Gentlemen : In presenting its Report, the Municipal Plans Commission deems of in- terest a brief revieAv of tiie events leading thereto. ^Yhile the desirability of a City Plan was urged by certain individuals in public addresses prior to 100!), it was in the early part of that year that the AYashington State Chapter of the American Institute of Architects effected a meeting of representatives of the various improvement clubs and commercial organizations in Johnston's Hall to consider active measures looking to that end. The JIunicipal Plans League was organized at that meeting and while active worlv was more or less inteiTujited by the many functions of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition which was in ])n)gress that summer, it was followed in the Fall by the jirep- aration of an amendment to the City Charter drawn bj' committees from the Cliambcr of Commerce, Commercial Club, Washington State Chapter, A. I. A., and the Municipal Plans League acting in conference, which was offered to the voters at the regular election of JIarch 8, 11)10, and became a law by the largest nuijority ever cast for an amendment to the charter of the City of Se- attle. The amendment then adopted is as follows: CITY CHARTER OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE. (Amended) Article XXV. "Section 1. Tliat there be and hereby is created a commission to be known as a jMunicii)al Plans Commission, which shall consist of twenty-one members. It shall be tlie duty of said commission to procure plans for the ar- rangement of the city with a view to such expansion as may meet probable fu- tui'e demands. The.se plans shall take into consideratiim the extension of the City and City works into adjacent territory; improvement and changes in pub- lic utilities and lines of transjMjrtation by surface, underground and water; the location, widths and gi'ades of arterial higlnvays nece.s.sary for tiie best treat- ment of tlie City; the development of the water front with its sea wail and wliarves; tlie location of public buildings and muni(i|ial decorations; and such further extensions of and additions to the ]iark and lioulevard systems of the City as it nuiy, in conjunction with the Park P.oard, find advisable. : 10 PLAN OF SEATTLE "Section 2. The mciubers of surh commissioii shall be citizens of the City of Seattle and shall be chosen in the following inuuner, to-wit: Three