Seattle's City Halls

In Thomson’s 1906 Annual Report, he stated ". . . one of the imperative needs of the city, is a new City Hall. Civic pride should have condemned the building in which we now are housed some years ago, and the failure of our citizens to arise as one man and insist upon the construction of a new city building is a reflection upon our citizenship."

The new building, he said, will not have room for any departments other than Health and Police, "and the present city officers will be compelled to remain where they are, in the shabby, unsanitary, and, from a fire point of view, almost criminally unsafe, building." "In carrying on the work for the city during the past year [1905], this department, in common with every other department, has been greatly handicapped by the lack of room; and, at the present time, one of the imperative needs of the city, is a new City Hall. Civic pride should have condemned the building in which we now are housed some years ago, and the failure of our citizens to arise as one man and insist upon the construction of a new city building is a reflection upon our citizenship. There is now being constructed a most beautiful and most substantial building…It is perfectly evident, however, that by the time the Health and Police Departments have properly housed themselves in that building, with their necessary appurtenances, there will be no room for any other department and the present city officers will be compelled to remain where they are, in the shabby, unsanitary, and, from a fire point of view, almost criminally unsafe, building."

1906 Engineering Department Annual Report
Unrecorded Subject Files (2602-02)
Seattle Municipal Archives

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